Pride parades expected to draw thousands in Montreal

CBC

a day ago

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Montreal Pride and Wild Pride, each with their own unique vision, will be celebrating the 2SLGBTQ+ community in the streets of Montreal Sunday afternoon with two separate parades.
Nearly 50 years after the first Pride celebrations in the city, thousands of people are expected to march through the streets to showcase the community's diversity and celebrate the advances in the fight for equal rights.
Starting at 1 p.m., participants in the Fierté Montréal parade will stroll along Réné-Lévesque Boulevard for more than two kilometres, from Metcalfe Street to the heart of the Village at Atataken Street.
Fierté Montréal's new head of the board of directors, Marlot Marleau is hoping people will show up wearing their brightest colours for this year's theme of Blossom here, now!
"Blossom means asserting our rights to grow, to fully shine, and to love freely," Marleau said.
"We're very excited to have everyone come and celebrate at the parade with us."
WATCH | Building connections and community at Fierté Montréal's 1st artisans' market:
Some Montrealers are hoping the good vibes from Fierté Montréal's first-ever artisans' market will help create connections between communities. The organization has been slammed by multiple 2SLGBTQ+ groups over its refusal to take a stance on the war in Gaza. It has since issued a statement condemning genocide in the enclave.
The road leading up to this year's event has been mired in controversy, with Fierté Montréal initially facing criticism for refusing to take a stance on the Israel-Gaza war.
At the end of July, however, Fierté Montréal issued a statement condemning the 'genocide in Gaza,' and saying it stood in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
It also barred two Jewish 2SLGBTQ+ groups from participating in the event for spreading hateful discourse.
After an apology and the resignation of the chair of Fierté's board of directors, Bernard Truong, the groups were reinstated.
Fierté Montréal's new board chair said the organization had acted to bar Ga'ava and CIJA after receiving complaints about hateful discourse, but reversed the decision because they said they didn't want to condemn an entire community for one individual's comments.
Marleau said Sunday's parade is a chance for the community to focus on shared values.
"I'm sure that the walkers will take away from the parade the fact that we can, even in disagreement, be united behind the rights of the 2SLGBTQ people in Quebec, in Canada," they said.
An alternate march is being organized by Wild Pride starting at 2 p.m. at Place des Arts, with participants making their way to Dorchester Square, via de Maisonneuve Boulevard.
Wild Pride was started after several Lesbian and queer organizations cut ties with Fierté Montréal in May, saying the organization no longer represented them.
In addition to Fierté's neutrality on the Israel-Gaza war, the groups denounced internal practices within the organization they allege were tinged with misogyny, racism, sexism and ableism.
Montreal police disperse crowd at Rad Pride event
A third parade, Rad Pride, which organizers describe as an anti-capitalist and anti-Zionist march was scheduled for Saturday evening, but came to a quick close following police intervention.
Rad Pride issued a news release denouncing what it says was "police violence" and to celebrate the courage of the demonstrators.
In the release, Rad Pride said the march had only just begun on Ste-Catherine Street, when demonstrators were met by line of "anti-riot" officers. The group says people leading the march were doused in pepper spray and hit by officers after asking to circulate in the Village neighbourhood.
Montreal police spokesperson Manuel Couture confirmed police intervened to disperse the crowd, but that demonstrators were pushing officers and throwing fireworks in the streets.
Couture said there were no reports of injury and no arrests, but there were instances of mischief including the window of a bank that was smashed and a fire that was started in a garbage can.