TORONTO – Toronto City Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, a mayoral candidate, has echoed the City of Toronto’s sentiments from earlier this month, encouraging the city to cut funding for the gay Pride Parade, following actions by an anti-Israeli group.

The complaints stem from the group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA) who, it has been alleged, have violated the city’s anti-discrimination policy in previous parades and may do so again if allowed to participate this summer.

“There is absolutely no room for discriminatory, hate-filled activism in one of Toronto’s most vibrant and globally successful events,” explained Mammoliti.

“The City of Toronto is correct in its threat to cut funding should the QuAIA be allowed to participate. As a councillor, I will push for an emergency resolution to cut funding for the Pride Parade immediately and as mayor, I will see to it that no funding will be given to Pride Toronto for the parade should the QuAIA continue to be involved.”

According to a recent report in the Toronto Star, last year the City of Toronto provided $121,000 to Pride Toronto for its parade.

“Toronto is very proud of its Pride Parade and it would be terrible if they lose city funding – but we cannot stand idly by and allow certain groups to advocate hate and racism while excluding our citizens,” Mammoliti said. “That’s not what the Pride Parade is about. Donning swastikas and fuelling antisemitism will not be tolerated in Toronto.”

Mammoliti had given the QuAIA 24 hours to withdraw from this year’s Pride Parade. If not, Mammoliti plans to take up this matter at the next council meeting and ask to have funding for this year’s Pride Parade withdrawn immediately.

James Pasternak, Toronto District School Board trustee and a candidate for city council, agreed with Mammoliti.

“For an anti-Israel group to be given standing in a city and corporate funded parade is totally inappropriate and must be reversed.” said Pasternak. “This kind of intolerance, targetting and insensitivity is against the values of the City of Toronto and, certainly, the Toronto District School Board. If the leadership of the Pride Parade won’t reverse their decision, then the city should be pulling its funding.

“Many families and children will watch this parade and see tacit approval of this anti-Israel group. This is the wrong message to send.”

Robert Karol, a concerned citizen and Toronto-based lawyer, shares Mammoliti’s stance.

“The City of Toronto should immediately revoke all City of Toronto funding, services, licenses and entitlements of the Gay Pride Parade, for as long as it continues to permit the hijacking of the Gay Pride Parade by QuAIA,” said Karol in an email to Mammoliti.

“The City of Toronto’s support of the Gay Pride Parade has now been interminably tarnished by the openly racist, hateful and antisemitic venom spewed by QuAIA. It is not the place of the City of Toronto to use its resources to advocate the destruction of the democratic state of Israel or to support those who seek to demonize, de-humanize and threaten Jews, Christians, gays and other supporters of Israel.”

Joanne Cohen, pro-Israel, LGBT human rights advocate, said, “I regard this issue as part of a larger and more troubling issue in our society that ultimately threatens not only Jewish Canadians, but Canadian society as a whole.

“I sent a letter advising our political leadership at all levels – municipal, provincial and federal – who are funding Pride, advising them of the wider context of this debate. Our leaders are not above the law, and should they fund or empower groups through tax funds that are risks to our Jewish community and to the community at large, they will be held accountable.

“It is hypocritical in the extreme for our LGBT community, which agitates against hate speech leading to anti-gay bashing and hate crimes, to fail to see the clear link in this instance between public vilification, false vilification and demonization of Israel and, by extension, the Jewish community.”

What many see as hypocrisy on the part of QuAIA, which focuses on Israel as the Middle East’s human rights abuser, could best be underscored by recent news reports that famous British pop icon Sir Elton John was banned from performing in Egypt because he is openly gay.