Rainbow flags and politics on display at Montreal pride parade
Cheering crowds lined the streets as activists, politicians and brightly costumed performers danced and cheered as the march stretched over more than two kilometres.
Gregg Blachford, a member of LGBTQ seniors group Gay and Grey, says the event for him is all about good energy and fun for people of different ages.
The mood was upbeat despite controversies in recent days that threatened to overshadow the event.
The marchers included members of Jewish LGBTQ+ group Ga'ava, which was briefly banned from attending over comments its president made about pro-Palestinian groups.
Organizer Fierté Montréal reversed the ban last week and reaffirmed that 'all communities' were welcome to participate in the events for the 11-day festival.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Montreal Gazette
4 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
Opinion: When hate strikes, a tweet isn't enough
There was a time when mayors showed up in a crisis. Now, too many hide behind social media. Montreal's surge in antisemitic acts should have triggered an urgent, visible response from City Hall. Instead, Mayor Valérie Plante offered only online concerns after last Friday's assault on a Jewish father — with a note that police will investigate. In her tweet, she wrote: 'I am disturbed by the violent and unacceptable attack against a father of the Jewish community that occurred yesterday in Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension. My thoughts are with the victim and his loved ones. The SPVM will shed full light on this disturbing event.' Kind words? Yes. Leadership? No. Many in the Jewish community were already asking: What's it going to take for action? Someone getting hurt? And here we are. This must not escalate further. It's time for the mayor and police chief to be front and centre — to face the cameras, to answer reporters' questions about their plan of action, to right this wrong, to catch the perpetrator, and to make the Jewish community feel safe again. No matter the motivation behind the attack, the climate that has been allowed to fester is making such attacks more likely. Hate crimes flourish when they are downplayed, dismissed or met with little action. Last Friday crossed a line. A father out with his children was attacked in broad daylight. The video is chilling — his young daughter screams in fear as he tries to defend himself from the punches. The assault ends with the suspect throwing whatappears to be the father's kippah into a puddle before fleeing. The man who posted the video alleges took police an hour to respond. The mayor took hours to react — and then only on social media. This is happening against the backdrop of more protests in our streets, with some even using Nazi terminology. And while peaceful protest is part of any healthy democracy, those who use hateful slogans or violence to make their point must be told — from the very top — it's unacceptable. Standing where this father was attacked, with the police chief at her side, Plante could have declared that this form of violence will not be tolerated. Canada's rise in antisemitic and violent acts began after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, according to B'nai Brith. In November 2023, two Jewish schools in Montreal were hit by gunfire. In May 2024, the Belz school at the Young Israel of Montreal synagogue was struck by bullets. In the West Island, a Jewish community institution has been firebombed twice. On West Park Blvd. in Dollard-des-Ormeaux — home to the Congregation Beth Tikvah synagogue and near the Hebrew Foundation School and the West Island offices of Federation CJA — families and children have had to walk past scorch marks. These are not random acts. They are part of a disturbing escalation that demands a visible, decisive response. Optics matter. It deters copycats and reassures a community living in fear that the city has their back. When I was a television reporter in '90s New York, Mayor Rudy Giuliani showed up at most major crime scenes. It sent a message: the mayor was leading from the front. Tweets wouldn't have cut it then, and they shouldn't now. It's time to make this an issue in the upcoming municipal election this fall. Fighting hatred — specifically, in this case, antisemitism — should be part of every candidate's platform. It is unacceptable in any city for a segment of the community to feel unprotected, unwanted and unsafe. Only action can address those fears — and that's what a mayor should do, in person, not just on her social media account.
Toronto Star
5 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Video appears to show the moment a Palestinian activist is killed as an Israeli settler opens fire
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — New video footage appears to show the moment a Palestinian activist was killed as an Israeli settler fired toward him during a confrontation with unarmed Palestinians in the occupied West Bank last month. The video released Sunday by B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, shows Israeli settler Yinon Levi firing a gun toward the person filming. The footage cuts but the camera keeps rolling as the person moans in pain.
Winnipeg Free Press
5 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Video appears to show the moment a Palestinian activist is killed as an Israeli settler opens fire
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — New video footage appears to show the moment a Palestinian activist was killed as an Israeli settler fired toward him during a confrontation with unarmed Palestinians in the occupied West Bank last month. The video released Sunday by B'Tselem, an Israeli human rights group, shows Israeli settler Yinon Levi firing a gun toward the person filming. The footage cuts but the camera keeps rolling as the person moans in pain. B'Tselem says it obtained the video from the family of Awdah Hathaleen, 31, an activist, English teacher and father of three who was shot dead on July 28, and who they said had filmed it. Levi, who was shown firing his gun twice in video shot by another witness and obtained by The Associated Press, was briefly detained and then released from house arrest by an Israeli court, which cited lack of evidence. The shooting occurred in Umm al-Khair, a village that has long weathered settler violence in an area profiled in the Oscar-winning film 'No Other Land.' Settler attacks on Palestinians have spiked since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, as have attacks by Palestinian militants. 'Awdah's killing is another horrific example of how Palestinians, both in Gaza and in the West Bank, are currently living without any sort of protection, fully exposed to Israeli violence, while Israeli soldiers or settlers can kill them in broad daylight and enjoy full impunity while the world watches,' said Sarit Michaeli, the international outreach director for B'Tselem. Levi was previously under U.S. sanctions that were lifted by the Trump administration. Both videos appear to show the same confrontation between Levi and a group of Palestinians. The earlier video showed him firing two shots from a pistol but did not show where the bullets struck. Several witnesses told the AP they saw Levi shoot Hathaleen. Avichai Hajbi, a lawyer representing Levi, told the AP that Levi acted in self-defense — without specifying what his actions were. Hajbi pointed to a court's decision earlier this month that released Levi from house arrest, citing insufficient evidence. The judge said Levi did not pose a danger justifying continued house arrest, but barred him from contact with the villagers for a month. The Israeli police didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about whether they'd seen the videos. B'Tselem said Levi was with a crew that brought an excavator from a nearby settlement into Umm al-Khair. Residents, fearing it would cut the village's main water line, gathered on a dirt road to try and block its path, and at least one individual threw a stone at the vehicle's front window. Levi then confronted the crowd while waving a handgun. The new video shows Levi arguing heatedly with three men before firing the gun in the direction of the person filming. Hathaleen was standing at the village community center about 40 meters (130 feet) from the confrontation, said B'Tselem. The bullet hit him in the chest and he collapsed on the spot, it said. Eitan Peleg, a lawyer for Hathaleen's family, said they told him Hathaleen had shot the footage on his phone. He said the police asked him for the video, which they hadn't seen. Peleg said he's urging the district court to investigate Levi for more serious crimes. Levi helped establish a settler outpost near Umm al-Khair that anti-settlement activists say is a bastion for violent settlers who have displaced hundreds since the start of the war. Palestinians and rights groups have long accused Israeli authorities of turning a blind eye to settler violence. In a 2024 interview, Levi told the AP he was protecting his own land and denied using violence. After Hathaleen's killing, Israel's army initially refused to return his body for burial unless conditions were met for the funeral, including limiting the number of people and the location. After an agreement was made with the police about a week later, Hathaleen's body was returned and buried. Hathaleen had written and spoken out against settler violence and had helped produce the Oscar-winning film. Supporters have erected murals in his honor in Rome, held vigils in New York and have held signs bearing his name at anti-war protests in Tel Aviv.
