Ottawa mayor not attending Capital Pride events after ‘solidarity with Palestine’ statement

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe won’t be attending events organized by Capital Pride after it released a statement “in solidarity with Palestine.”

Sutcliffe disagreed with the stance taken by the group in charge of the major festivities celebrating the 2SLGBTQ+ community in Ottawa from Aug. 17 to Aug. 25.

In a post on social media Thursday, Sutcliffe said he would attend other pride activities, but would not participate in Capital Pride events “unless there is a change in approach.”

“Ottawa is a kind and welcoming city where everyone should feel included. I’m disappointed that despite conversations with the Jewish community, the board of Capital Pride has chosen to stand behind its original statement that caused significant hurt and distress for many members of the Jewish community,” he wrote on X.

“This decision by the board, days before the start of Pride, has unfortunately created an atmosphere where many now do not feel welcome to participate.”

In a statement made on Aug. 6, Capital Pride condemned the attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists on October 7, but in the same paragraph accused Israel of an “endless and brutal campaign in Gaza.” The organization said it was concerned with rising Islamophobia and antisemitism.

However, it said “growing Islamophobic sentiment” was fuelled by the “pink-washing of the war in Gaza and racist notions that all Palestinians are homophobic and transphobic.” Pink-washing is a term that refers to the practice of trying to benefit from appearing to support 2SLGBTQ+ causes, usually in a way to profit or distract from a separate agenda, per Dictionary.com’s definition.

“By portraying itself as a protector of the rights of queer and trans people in the Middle East, Israel seeks to draw attention away from its abhorrent human rights abuses against Palestinians. We refuse to be complicit in this violence,” the statement said.

The Jewish Federation of Ottawa (JFO) said in a statement that it decided to withdraw from Capital Pride events as well, after the organization’s “refusal to adjust its stance.”

“By disregarding our concerns and inviting this year’s Pride event to become a protest against Israel, Capital Pride has chosen a divisive position that further marginalizes Jews, who are victimized by more hate crimes than any other group in Canada,” JFO said.

Although hate crimes have decreased overall in Ottawa this year, police said that crimes against the Jewish community increased by 100 per cent. There were 74 incidents to date in 2024, compared to 36 in 2023, according to a report released in July.

The Black community was also targeted, with 36 incidents to date this year, followed by the 2SLGBTQ+ community at 24 and the Muslim community at 15 — also a 100 per cent increase from the previous year.

“Pride has always been and should continue to be a celebration of diversity and inclusion where no one feels excluded for who they are. I encourage the board of Capital Pride to take steps to ensure no one feels excluded this year,” Sutcliffe wrote.

“It’s important to continue to support the 2LGBTQ+ community and defend the values of equity and inclusion that the Pride movement has always stood for.”

Some people in the comments of Sutcliffe’s post disagreed with him, but many thanked him and left messages of support.

“We stand with (Mark Sutfliffe) in in fostering an inclusive and safe community for all,” the JFO said in a post on X.

Former Canadian foreign minister John Baird replied to Sutcliffe’s statement.

“This is what leadership looks like!” wrote Baird on X.

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