By The Canadian Press

Montreal Pride organizers have reversed ban on Jewish community group in parade

Aug 5, 2025 | 12:16 PM

MONTREAL — Organizers for the upcoming Montreal Pride parade have reversed their decision to exclude a Jewish LBGTQ+ group from participating in the event.

In a new statement released Tuesday, Fierté Montréal said it was reaffirming an invitation for “all communities” to participate in the events planned for the 11-day festival.

The organizers released the statement after the Jewish community group, Ga’ava, began calling on government officials to intervene after it was banned from joining the parade.

“Although this was not Fierté Montréal’s intention, the announcement was perceived by the Jewish community in Québec (and especially by Jewish members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community) as a way to exclude them from its events,” Fierté Montréal, which manages the festival, wrote in the statement.

“This does not reflect the inclusive values that guide Fierté Montréal’s actions.”

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Fierté Montréal, an organization that promotes the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, had previously informed Ga’ava it would be excluded from the Pride parade last week, said Carlos A. Godoy, president of the Montreal-based group.

He said Fierté Montréal emailed a letter explaining Ga’ava was being banned for engaging in hate speech. He believes the decision wasn’t justified.

The letter cited an interview Godoy gave that was featured in an article last month in The Canadian Jewish News, he said. Godoy was quoted in the article alleging that pro-Palestinian groups who disrupted last year’s parade, causing an hour-long delay, were “pro-terror.”

“The words that we are accused of using are not hate speech under Canadian law or under Quebec law,” Godoy said.

He said he’s critical of pro-Palestinian activists who participate in Pride events because he believes they are promoting violence against Jewish people.

Fierté Montréal and Ga’ava both declined to share a copy of the letter and The Canadian Press has not reviewed it.

Fierté Montréal also declined to answer questions about the nature of the complaints. It has since said in its statement it needs to improve how it deals with complaints to ensure “a situation like this one does not happen again.”

Samya Lemrini, part of the board of Helem Montréal, which represents the Arabic-speaking LGBTQ+ community, said she disagrees with Godoy’s characterization of pro-Palestinian activists, noting this isn’t the first time he referred to them as “pro-terror.”

She said he made similar comments during a conference call with multiple Pride parade participants last spring.

Screenshots shared with The Canadian Press show that he posted comments in a group chat during that call, using the words “Hamas” and “pro-terror” to describe the pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

“After what happened last year, I did not think that it was possible that they’d let (Ga’ava) march again,” Lemrini said.

Helem Montréal wasn’t part of the protest at last year’s event, Lemrini added, saying they ultimately decided to join the parade, walking hand-in-hand with Jewish attendees in a show of solidarity.

Her group will not be taking part in the parade this year, however. Instead, it will take part in an alternate parade, “Wild Pride,” set to run the same day.

Zev Saltiel, an organizer with the Montreal chapter of Independent Jewish Voices, defended the Fierté Montréal organizers, saying he believed Ga’ava was banned due to Godoy’s behaviour.

“The truth is that they’re not being antisemitic,” Saltiel said about Fierté.

Eta Yudin, vice-president of the Quebec chapter of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, welcomed the new decision on Tuesday.

“The exclusion of the Jewish community was completely not unaligned with either Fierté Montréal’s values or our Quebec values. We’re pleased to see we will all be moving forward to put our energy and our focus where the fight is important, and that is against hate and division,” said Yudin.

The federal and provincial governments, along with Montreal, are all among the sponsors for the 11-day festival which began on July 31.

The Quebec government, for instance, contributed nearly $1 million toward the festival this season. The Canadian government, meanwhile, provided just over $419,000.

Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, said he’s glad meaningful dialogue led to a solution.

“It’s important to ensure the safe and full participation of all members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community and their allies in Pride,” he shared through a written statement. “Pride events must always be spaces of inclusion where who we are and who we love are celebrated, regardless of faith, background, or identity.”

Asked to comment on the situation, a spokesperson for the City of Montreal said it “was not involved in the decision taken by Fierté Montréal.”

Montreal’s 19th annual Pride parade will be held on Sunday, August 10.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 5, 2025.

Miriam Lafontaine, The Canadian Press