Pro-Palestinian outburst at Pride parade

The Montreal Pride parade, which brought together tens of thousands of people on Sunday afternoon, was momentarily blocked by pro-Palestinian protesters, prompting applause and boos.

An hour into the event, around 2 p.m., a few dozen protesters broke away from the contingent they were marching in. The group turned around to march against the flow of the parade, to cheers from the crowd and some disapproving remarks. “No pride in the face of genocide,” the protesters chanted.

After a few altercations with the police, the group stopped at the corner of René-Lévesque Boulevard and Jeanne-Mance Street, blocking the advance of the many contingents behind them. About thirty minutes later, the parade resumed, bypassing the group of activists surrounded by the police.

“Yes, there was an interruption, but it went well and remained peaceful,” said Simon Gamache, executive director of Fierté Montréal, who said he was pleased with how things turned out. “Pride is a space for protest […]we negotiated with the protesters so that it would go well,” he added.

The Montreal Police Department (SPVM) says it has not made any arrests in connection with the demonstration. Tens of thousands of people attended the parade on Sunday, and 7,000 people participated, according to Simon Gamache.

Activist organizations have criticized Fierté Montréal for its lack of position on the conflict in Gaza in recent months.

Helem Montréal, a group representing Arab LGBTQ2+ people, reportedly met with parade organizers in June to ask them to cut ties with TD and other sponsors who “fund and profit from genocide,” according to an Instagram post. Pride reportedly refused the group’s demands.

Pros and cons

Many in the crowd applauded the protesters’ stunt. “I’m uncomfortable with Pride working with companies that are tied to Israel, so I’m glad to see people protesting,” Jax said, applauding the protesters who walked past him.

Romy, a teenager who attended the parade with her friends, said it was legitimate for pro-Palestinian demands to be included at Pride. “Freedom and everyone’s rights are interconnected, it’s normal that people come to demonstrate for Palestine today,” she added.

For others, the demonstration disrupted a day of celebration. “I think their message would have had more impact if they had marched in the same direction as everyone else,” lamented Aryanne Leblanc, accompanied by her partner Marie-Josée. “By standing still, they are only creating anger.”

“I didn’t mind the march stopping, but I didn’t really understand,” said Alexis Lafrance, who was watching the contingents march past after the protesters had passed. His friend Eliott Lemare nodded. “I feel like it’s going to give the Palestine movement a bad name,” he added.

Met before the parade, Samya Lemrini, the president of Helem Montréal, was not in the mood to celebrate. “Babies are being decapitated right now in Gaza, and Fierté is collaborating with organizations that are complicit in this,” she lamented. Despite everything, it was important for the activist to participate in the parade. “We want people to see us,” she added.

The protesters who disrupted the event were marching in the same contingent as Helem at the beginning of the parade. However, the organization did not plan the disruption of the event, it specified in a message to The Press.

Reasons to march

Many politicians participated in the parade, including Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, and Québec solidaire co-spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois.

Alexandre Boulerice, NDP MP for Rosemont-La Petite Patrie, was delighted to be there this year. “It’s a beautiful day to celebrate difference, diversity, and all types of love,” he said.

For transgender rights activist Céleste Trianon, taking part in the march was important after a difficult year for her community. “Trans people don’t have the privilege of taking their rights for granted, we have to keep fighting,” she added.

According to Marie-Evelyne Belinga, participating in the event helps give more visibility to LGBTQ+ families. “We still have so many rights to win,” she stressed, alongside her partner and their five children.

Behind the family, Cesar Ivan Estrada Flores waved a multi-colored flag above his head, a smile on his face. “In my country, LGBTQ people are discriminated against,” said the man who arrived from Mexico a year ago. “I love this country because I can be myself here,” he said.