Jesus people vs Mohammed people - 1

Judging by numbers alone, I'd say the Jesus people won the day. The Christians had a much better turnout at Queen's Park for their Jesus in the City parade than the Muslims (and their anti-Israel allies) who were "celebrating" Al-Quds Day. ("Celebrating" as in denouncing almost everyone and demanding the Canadian government lift its terrorist designation from Hamas and Hezbollah.)

As a bonus, on the return lap of the Jesus in the City parade, their music almost drowned out the anti-Israel speeches and chants. Make a joyful noise, indeed.

I've been on my feet for five hours and I'm exhausted. My camera's battery is exhausted, too, so we both need to re-energize a bit.

Not once when I was amongst the Christians did anyone block me from taping or demand to know my name and affiliation. Everywhere I turned, people smiled at me. They were happy and couldn't help but spread that happiness around. During their praise and worship service, I thought a few times, "This is what heaven is like". (Yeah, I'm religious like that.)

While I wouldn't say the Al Quds gathering was hell, it would qualify as hellish.

I was one of the few women not wearing a black hijab and long, black over-garment, and I'm as white as they come, so I stood out like a sore thumb. Everything was fine until a young Jewish man Jesse M. Zimmerman recognized me from the Dead Sea Scrolls protest. He Jesse Zimmerman got in my face with his camera and walked around me, while ostentatiously taking several photos of me. He circled me, saying, "Zionist. Zionist. Zionist. Zionist," in a voice loud enough for others to hear. The woman behind me repeated it a few times: "Zionist, Zionist, Zionist." As the young man Zimmerman rushed over to report to his friends that there was a Zionist in their midst, I almost expected to hear them all cry, "Burn her! Burn the witch!"

A couple of minutes later, a middle-aged Arab man -- Ali Mallah, vice-president of the Canadian Arab Federation -- stood directly in front of me and blocked me from videotaping the speaker who was addressing the crowd. He demanded to know my name and my affiliation.

The confrontation went something like this (I'm paraphrasing because I can't check my video just yet):

Ali Mallah: "What is your name? Who are you with?"

Me: "I'm not telling you my name."

Ali Mallah: "I'll tell you my name, it's ________. What is your name?"

Me: "I'm not telling you my name because I know who you're with."

Ali Mallah: "Are you a journalist?"

Me: "No."

Ali Mallah: "Is this for a documentary?"

Me: "No."

Ali Mallah: "Are you with the JDL?"

Me: "No."

Ali Mallah: "You are not with the JDL?"

Me: "I am not a member of the JDL."

With that, he walked away.

What would he have done if I had been a member of the JDL? Get the cops and have me ejected from the grounds of Queen's Park for standing quietly and videotaping a public event in a public place? Why, that would be apartheid. In fact, come to think of it, his questioning of me qualifies as apartheid. I was the only person questioned in such a manner, all because I was a non-Muslim and a Zionist. What is this, Iran? Why do these people think they can enforce Islamic law (sharia) in a non-Muslim country?

From heavenly to hellish in the space of one afternoon in downtown Toronto.

Thankfully, the Jesus people filled me up with enough joy and strength to withstand the anger and hatred I later received from the Mohammed people.

I know whose side I'm on.

A big thank-you to Blazing Cat Fur for his blog post which informed me of these events.

I hope to have video up on Monday.

Update: Welcome, fellow readers & fans of Blazing Cat Fur!

Update #2: Welcome, readers of Square Mile Wife! She writes that she learned of my blog via Blazing Cat Fur and I've just learned of her blog the same way! Check out her excellent report and photos of a boycott against Ahava products yesterday (in London, England I think).

Update #3: Welcome, fellow readers & fans of Small Dead Animals!

Update #4: Welcome, readers of Stubble Jumping Redneck! Wow, another great blog that I'm just learning about!

Update #5: Welcome, fellow readers & fans of Scaramouche!

Update #6: Updated to identify Ali Mallah, vice-president of the Canadian Arab Federation and Jesse M. Zimmerman of York University and the NDP.

Toronto Turkish Festival 2009 - 1 of 9

The music drew me in to the Toronto Turkish Festival. I heard it when we exited the Eaton Centre and I had to see what was going on across the street in Dundas Square.

There were lots of interesting sights and sounds. I'm sure the food and drink was excellent, too, but the crowds were too deep at each booth to see it.

People seemed really happy to be there. When I expressed my appreciation of the traditional Turkish music, a couple near me just beamed.

Next year, I want to go early and see the whirling dirvishes.

I took lots of photos:

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Toronto Turkish Festival 2009 -2 of 9

Toronto Turkish Festival 2009 - 3 of 9

The third photo shows marbled paper ("Ebru") which, according to the booklet, is a traditional Turkish craft. It was too crowded for me to get close enough to get good shots of the paper; it was pretty.

The two musicians in the bottom photo were playing when I arrived. According to the schedule, they are Mehmet Kinik and Betul Yegul. I enjoyed their playing and singing.

Toronto Turkish Festival 2009 - 4 of 9

Toronto Turkish Festival 2009 - 5 of 9

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Canadian Forces information booth.

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I think this was an Ottoman military band ("Mehteran" according to the schedule).

Those are drummers in the two middle photos. They were amazing. It looked like they were beating on a big box. It sounded great; I just wish the volume had been a bit lower.

(At least I think they were both drumming. Looking at the photos now, it might have been just the one guy who was drumming.)

Queers Against Israeli Apartheid - 6

I was alone when members of "Queers Against Israeli Apartheid" swarmed me and used threatening tactics to get me to stop videotaping at the Gay Pride Parade in downtown Toronto on June 28, 2009.

When I moved farther away from their group, several of them went to great lengths (climbing a brick wall topped with an iron grating) to approach me in a manner designed to frighten and intimidate me.

They told me I was not welcome at the Pride Parade and said I had been "exposed" as a Zionist, as if that was a crime.

I was by myself and they were the ones who harassed me. They were the ones who made me feel unsafe in my own city.

My video is here. The only thing I cut out of it was approximately 5 seconds of full frontal nudity.

No one can have a reasonable expectation of privacy while marching in a parade that is known to draw a crowd of 1 million people. In addition, more than half a million people watched the parade live on TV.

No one can have a reasonable expectation of privacy when they are seen clearly on videotape having no problem being taped by Rabble.ca, friends and strangers.

No one can have a reasonable expectation of privacy when their full names are given on press releases issued by their organizations.

No one can have a reasonable expectation of privacy when they have posted their own photos and resume on the internet for anyone to see.

Queers Against Israeli Apartheid - 5

Go here to watch the video on YouTube in which members of "Queers Against Israeli Apartheid" march openly in front of an audience of 1 million people, at least 50% of whom had cameras, plus 600,000 television viewers, and call for the violent overthrow and destruction of a democratic country which just so happens to be one of Canada's allies.

They chanted: "Fist by fist, blow by blow, apartheid state has got to go."

At Toronto's Pride Parade 2009.

Update: According to a comment, the chant is: "Brick by brick, wall by wall..."

Harassment & Intimidation at Toronto's Pride Parade

Harassment & Intimidation at Toronto's Pride Parade 2009 from josephinejosephine on Vimeo.

As I was videotaping groups in the parade line-up, no one complained until I reached a keffiyah-wearing, Palestinian-flag-waving group. I recognized a few members of "Queers Against Israeli Apartheid" as well as NION and was shocked to see a man with his head & face wrapped in a keffiyeh like a terrorist and wearing a bracelet made of bullets.

They saw me videotaping and quickly moved, in a well-rehearsed manner, to physically prevent me from seeing and taping. After I moved at least 15 feet away, they crossed the wide sidewalk, climbed a brick wall mounted by a low iron fence and stood directly in front of my camera... then told me not to photograph them!

They denounced me as a Zionist and told me I was not welcome in the Pride Parade which was being held in my own city of Toronto, in my own country of Canada, where my ancestors have lived since 1750.

The sponsors of Pride should think twice about having their names associated with an event that includes such groups.

Thanks to the organizers of the Pride Parade for allowing a group that uses Hamas-style tactics to poison the formerly open and free atmosphere of Pride.
Update: Welcome, fellow readers and fans of Five Feet of Fury and Halls of Macadamia!
Update #2: And a hearty welcome to fellow readers and fans of Girl on the Right!
Update #3: Hello & welcome to readers of another one of my favourite blogs, Blazing Cat Fur! As usual, the title of his post is much funnier than mine!
Update #4: From the comments: "It's impossible to believe that the traditional Gay Pride chant has become 'We're here, we're queer ... hey, what the f*** are you lookin' at, asshole? Put the camera away!'"

More pics - Toronto Pride Parade 2009 - 1

Notes:

Click the photos to enlarge.

Most of my photos were taken while waiting in the parade line-up on Bloor Street between Church and Jarvis. A few were taken elsewhere before and after the parade.

Re. the person with the yellow and orange headdress: I blurred his chest area a bit and cropped the pic. Yes, he still has his dingly-dangly bits, and they were on display. He was very popular. When I walked by, a lot of people were asking to have their photos taken with him.

The "ladies" in pink were also very popular; lots of people had their photos taken with them.