Canadian mayor defiant after 'Queers for Palestine' protesters halt pride parade

The mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, condemned recent anti-Israel LGBT protesters on Monday for effectively stopping the Canadian capital's annual pride parade over the weekend while issuing political demands.

"I don't think we want to have a situation where anybody can just block a parade, especially Capital Pride, put a bunch of demands on the table, and the parade doesn't move forward unless people give in to those demands," Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said during a press conference at Ottawa City Hall, according to CTV News.



"I don't think that's acceptable," he added. "I don't think that's a proper way to advocate or discuss the issues that are important to those people, I certainly was not in a position to say, 'Yes, I'll do whatever they ask.'"

Hundreds of protesters associated with the group "Queers for Palestine – Ottawa (Q4P)," which describes itself as "an organization of queer and trans people advocating and organizing for liberation," blocked the Capital Pride parade near Parliament Hill and demanded anti-Israel concessions from its organizers and the mayor, according to the Ottawa Citizen.

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