Recently, two 2SLGBTQ+ Jewish groups have been restored to march in Montreal’s pride parade.
Fierté Montréal, the organization that manages the Pride Festival of Montreal, said in a statement published on his website on Tuesday that he was reaffirming his invitation to all communities to participate in the celebrations.
“Fierté Montreal wants each community, regardless of religious affiliation, feel welcome in its events and can participate in a safe and inclusive environment,” the statement said.
“In this spirit, the organization extends its apologies to Jewish communities and especially to Jewish members of the 2SLGBTQIA+community.”
The restoration occurs one day after the president of the Board of Directors of Fierté Montréal resigned, citing personal reasons, and less than a week after the organization issued a statement that condemned “the in progress in progress in Gaza” and said that he had denied participation in the parade to “organizations that spread the hateful speech.”
The new president of the Board of Fierté Montréal says that the organization had acted for Bar Ga’ava and Cija after receiving complaints about the hateful speech. But he says they reversed the decision because they did not want to condemn an entire community for an individual’s comments.
The statement had been addressed both to the center for the affairs of Israel and the Jews (Cija) already ga’ava, which calls itself “the LGBTQ+ oldest and greatest Jewish group in Canada.”
Last week, a Cija representative said the groups had been expelled for pride in the statements published in a media of the Jewish community. The comments described the protesters who interrupted last year’s parade as “Pro-Ahamas” and people who seek to ban the Zionists of the parade as “pro-terror.”
‘We do not want to condemn the entire community’
In an interview with CBC, Marlot Marleau, the new head of the Board of Directors of Fierté Montreal, said the organization had acted to prohibit Ga’Ava and Cija after receiving complaints about the hateful discourse. But he said they returned to their decision because they did not want to make the Jewish community feel rejected.
“The statements were considered unacceptable, [but] We do not want to condemn the entire community due to unacceptable statements of a unique individual, “Marleauau said in an interview with CBC.
Fierté Montreal had faced a flood of criticism for not having a position on the situation in Gaza and at least one artist had said he would not act at the festival due to the inclusion of a “LGBTQ+ Zionist group.”
But the Montreal Fierté Movement to Bar Ga’ava and Cija of the parade also caused the conviction.
Five parliamentarians wrote an open letter to Fierté Montréal asking the organization to revert their decision.
“This is completely unacceptable and a devastating message for the Jewish community of Montreal and, in particular, to the Jews of Montreal who belong to the 2LBGTQ+community,” said the letter, which was shared in X by the MP of Mount Royal Anthony Housefather.
The group calls for the initial prohibition ‘A public relations trick’
In a statement, Cija said Tuesday that he had conversations with the “new president of the Junta de Fierté Montréal,” Marlot Marleauu, who is taking over the previous president, Bernard Truong, who resigned on Monday.
After those discussions, Cija said he welcomed the decision to restore Cija and Ga’Ava in the parade.
“The organization issued an apology for Jewish people 2SLGBTQIA+ in Quebec and the broader Jewish community for a decision that was felt as a message of rejection. After the constructive dialogue, we accepted their apologies,” said Cija statement.
Yara Coussa, a member of the Board of Melem Montreal, a group that advocates the people of Arabic speech in Montreal, said the restoration of Gierté Montreal to Ga’ava and Cija showed that the position of the organization was never genuine.
“His answer only shows that his actions were never tried to take care of the community, but it was just a public relations trick to save his face,” he said.
Helem Montreal is part of a Coalition of 2SLGBTQ+ groups that cut the ties with Montreal Fierté this year, saying that the organization no longer represents them.
Ga’Ava and Cija were not the only prohibited groups of the pride parade last week. The Iranian Montreal Rainbow (Imra) alliance was also excluded. Marleau did not say why, but said that the organization was also open to a dialogue with that group.
