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A decision was made to cancel Toronto’s Pride Parade mid-route on Sunday evening after a group of 30 anti-Israel protesters forced the event to a 20-minute standstill, Pride Toronto Executive Director Kojo Modeste told the National Post.
The parade came to a dramatic halt when the Coalition Against Pinkwashing – a group of queer and trans activists from Palestinian solidarity groups, according to the Toronto Star, interrupted and staged a sit-in on Yonge Street at around 6:00 p.m on June 30.
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The protestors refused to move until Toronto Pride organizers agreed to the various groups’ six demands, which included that the event’s organizers divest from corporations with ties to Israel. Modeste said the protesters stressed that there was no room for negotiation.
“I approached the protesters with the council of elders that was specifically selected to help with any negotiation that needed to happen if there was any disruption, said Modeste. “They made it very clear to us that there was no room for negotiation, that we either sign off on the six demands or they would not be leaving.”
Despite the Toronto Pride Parade being the largest of its kind in Canada, and the second largest in the world, according to Modeste, the 30 protesters managed to stop the remainder of the parade. Modeste claims doing so was necessary for the safety of the protesters and parade attendees.
“At that point in time, public safety trumps everything, and I could not have people standing or sitting in the sun. There were also vehicles that were in the way. And this is when the decision was made,” said Modeste.
“Yes, it was 30 people, but these are 30 lives. We wanted to make sure that the protesters were safe, but we also (prioritized) all of the parade participants, all of the tens of thousands of people that were waiting to see the parade.”
Toronto Police posted on social media Sunday evening to announce that a demonstration during the parade had caused “a disruption” and that the parade was “paused temporarily.” Later, Pride Toronto announced that the remainder of the parade had been cancelled only minutes into the protest.
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“Toronto Police worked with Pride Toronto in preparation for this weekend. They communicated to TPS prior to Sunday that they did not want officers to intervene if protestors disrupted the parade. We respected their request,” Toronto Police spokesperson Stephanie Sayer told the National Post over email.
“The decision to cancel the event was made solely by Pride Toronto,” said Sayer.
Sayer says there were no arrests or incidents of violence during the demonstration. The protesters left Yonge Street about two hours after the parade was shut down and marched west along Wellesley Street on the sidewalk, reported the Toronto Star.
In 2016, Black Lives Matter forced Toronto Pride to a standstill when it stopped its parade float in protest. The festivities continued after Toronto Pride organizers agreed to their list of demands in about 30 minutes. However, this year, protesters did not reach an agreement.
Even though the pride festivities continued as usual shortly after the protests, the parade cancellation left out 67 of the 280 colourful delegations, according to the Toronto Sun.
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“It was very unfortunate that the group decided to take away the opportunity from the queer community the one time of the year folks come from all over the world, all over Canada, all over Ontario to celebrate themselves, to be themselves,” Modeste told the Toronto Sun Monday.
“For many newcomers, this was their first Pride. Individuals that are coming from smaller cities and communities to Toronto to be their authentic selves for the weekend–and that right was denied. This should not be the case” Modeste said.
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