Capital Pride: Ottawa mayor won’t attend events following pro-Palestinian statement [Video]

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he will not be participating in any events organized by Capital Pride this year, including the Pride parade, following the organization’s statement earlier this month expressing solidarity with Palestinians.

The organizers of the annual Pride festival in Ottawa issued a statement with four commitments for Pride festivities, including “recognizing the ongoing genocide against Palestinians” in opening remarks at all signature events, pushing for a ceasefire in Gaza, hosting a “queer Arab showcase” and integrating the Palestinian Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) National Committee’s boycott list in its review of current and future sponsorships.

While the statement condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the acts of terrorism committed by Hamas in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, it also accused Israel of “pinkwashing” the war in Gaza, by portraying itself as a protector of LGBTQ2S+ rights, and criticized racist and Islamophobic notions that all Palestinians are homophobic and transphobic.

While some …