The gay group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA) has dropped out of the Toronto Pride Parade after protests by city officials and the Canadian Jewish Congress. QuAIA announced the move on its website as a "challenge" to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, who had called for city funding for the gay pride parade to be cut if the group participated. QuAIA said it would instead hold a separate event this week. The city council provides CDN$ 128,000 in funding for the event, along with about CDN$ 250,000 in services such as police and garbage removal.
Ford said he had a "hard time" believing QuAIA would not march at this year's parade and added that the city should continue to hold back funding until after the event. "After the parade, if they don't march in the parade, they get their money. If they do march, they won't get their money. That's what council agreed to last year," he told reporters Friday.
The City Council agreed last year to fund Pride Toronto after the parade, and on the condition that all participants comply with the city's anti-discrimination policy. A city report released last week states that the phrase ‘Israeli Apartheid’ had not been found to violate the Criminal Code or the Human Rights Code of Ontario. Bernie Farber, the chief executive officer of the Canadian Jewish Congress, said QuAIA's decision not to march had brought the matter to a "successful conclusion."
"Our focus has been on the Pride Parade. That is the most visual and the most important piece that is seen internationally by over a million people and that's why we were concerned that this parade, which is supposed to be about inclusivity, would not turn into one that allowed a group like QuAIA to promote their hatefulness," he said.
