"City bureaucrats may withdraw funding from Pride Toronto next year if the activist group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid is allowed to march in this summer's parade.More here.
"The city, which gave Pride $121,000 in 2009, believes its anti-discrimination policy was likely violated by QuAIA's conduct and even its very presence at last summer's parade, said general manager of economic development and culture Mike Williams...
"Ceta Ramkhalawansingh, city manager of diversity management and community engagement, said she looked to Ontario Human Rights Commission guidelines for direction regarding the parade.
"The guidelines, she said, mention racism that creates a 'poisoned environment.' She said QuAIA had created an environment at Pride 'where not everybody feels welcome.' Thus, she said, the city's message to Pride was: "You've got a problem. Deal with it.'"
The environment has been poisoned at Pride. I was harassed, intimidated and made to feel extremely unwelcome by the QuAIA group because I was "identified as a Zionist".
11 comments:
The comments on this story over at the Star (the newspaper dedicated to the blood of the workers) are disheartening, though kind of hilarious.
The most popular comments blame it on a Jewish conspiracy.
Notice how the Star invites comments on this story, but not on any story where the holy pious Muslims or Sikhs might be criticized?
You noticed that too, huh, B?
I use the Toronto Star to line my kitties litter box. Sorry kitty!!
I hope you get it out of a recycling box and you're not paying for it, Anon.
I would never pay for the Star!!
Phew!
Well, let us keep up the pressure and write to officials telling them why hatred should not be allowed at a PRIDE parade and if the pro-hatred groups claim the "Jewish lobby" is at it again, then let us proudly proclaim, "Damn right we are"! As if they don't have their own lobby of letter writers! And.. they probably have an added attraction of bullying tactics as well.
Yes, indeed, Vardit.
Josephine is wrong again! You were not made extremely unwelcome because we identified you as a zionist. You were not welcome because you had your camera in everyone's face. You intruded our personal space and we didn't want your poison around us. That's why we wanted you away from us.
Anon @ 4:57 PM:
I never put my camera in anyone's face, so that is a lie.
You all came extremely close to me and put your cameras in my face. That is shown quite clearly in my video.
When I retreated to a distant, raised spot, you all came after me. It was hard work: you had to hoist yourselves up onto a wall and over a low fence and then walk a few paces to get close to me, but you did it.
You also stated quite clearly on my video that I had been "identified as a Zionist" and that was why I was told I was not welcome there.
Once again, you try to paint yourselves as victims, but it's not going to fly.
Unless your "personal space" consists of a large swath of the Pride Parade, that is, in which case I suggest you have your lawyers inform the Pride organizers that you may only be photographed or videotaped by helicopter.
In the meantime, I notice you let a Rabble videographer in amongst you with no problem, so you can't claim to be camera-shy.
And you do know that the parade was viewed in person by about a million people, many of whom had cameras, and I can't remember how many more who watched it on TV.
And by "you all", I mean "you-all", or "y'all", not "every single one of you".
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