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Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says he will not be participating in this year’s Pride parade, or other events organized by Capital Pride, following the organization’s statement earlier this month expressing solidarity with Palestinians.
Sutcliffe’s social media statement said he was “disappointed” that despite conversations with the Jewish community, the board of Capital Pride chose to stand behind its original statement, which caused “significant hurt and distress for many members of the Jewish community,” he said. “This decision by the board, days before the start of Pride, has unfortunately created an atmosphere where many now do not feel welcome to participate.”
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The mayor said “it’s important to continue to support the 2LGBTQ+ community and defend the values of equity and inclusion that the Pride movement has always stood for. I will be attending Pride activities in the days ahead but unless there is a change in approach, I will not be participating in events organized by Capital Pride this year.”
Capital Pride’s statement, released last week, said in part that the organization condemned the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, but “by the same token, we cannot stay silent in the face of Israel’s endless and brutal campaign in Gaza and mounting violence in the West Bank, where innocent Palestinians — many of whom have friends, families and loved ones in our communities — are being slaughtered, dehumanized and dispossessed of their land in flagrant violation of international law.”
Capital Pride committed to four actions “to breathe life into our sincere hope for an end to this war and justice for all its victims,” including “recognizing the ongoing genocide against Palestinians” in opening remarks at all signature events, pushing for a ceasefire, hosting a “queer Arab showcase” and integrating the Palestinian Boycott, Divest and Sanction National Committee’s boycott list in its review of current and future sponsorships.
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Following Capital Pride’s statement, the Jewish Federation of Ottawa announced it will not participate in the Capital Pride parade this year, saying the federation met with Capital Pride to “address our serious concerns about their recent antisemitic statement.”
Capital Pride declined to change their stance, the federation said, and “given Capital Pride’s refusal to adjust its stance, and the significant harm this position poses to the safety of the Jewish community, the Jewish Federation of Ottawa and our community partners have made the difficult, but necessary decision to withdraw from this year’s Pride parade.”
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