The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs says representatives of the institutional Jewish community have been reinvited to march on Aug. 10 in the Montreal Pride Parade, known as Fierté Montréal.
The confirmation followed discussions with Marlot Marleau, the new board chair of Fierté Montréal. On Monday, he was tapped for the role after Bernard Truong stepped down from the position due to criticism associated with banning Jews from the event.
CIJA stated that “in recent days, it became clear that excluding groups representing the Jewish community sent the message that Jews—and Jewish 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and allies—are not welcome under the rainbow of Montreal Pride. This would have been unacceptable.”
It added that in talks this week, “Fierté Montréal was adamant that the organization opposes antisemitism and had no intention of excluding the Jewish community. Leadership reiterated that every community, regardless of religious affiliation, must feel welcome and safe at their events. The organization issued an apology to Jewish 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals in Quebec and the broader Jewish community for a decision that was felt as a message of rejection.”
The Canadian Jewish center acknowledged the thousands of people, including politicians, influencers, news reporters and citizens, “who condemned the exclusion and called for the Jewish community to be welcomed back into the parade.”
It stated: “We welcome Fierté Montréal’s commitment to reviewing its complaint process. A situation like this must never happen again.”
