Ottawa’s Pride parade collapsed in scandal Sunday afternoon after pro Palestinian activists hijacked the march, blocked the route, and forced organizers to cancel the city’s biggest summer event.
The group calling itself Queers for Palestine Ottawa stormed the parade “with the permission” of the grand marshal and demanded control of the stage. From Parliament Hill they chanted “This is what a village looks like” while waving banners denouncing Israel and accusing Capital Pride of selling out.
The activists issued ultimatums to Capital Pride, including demands for a boycott divestment and sanctions hall, a cultural and academic boycott of Israel, and apologies from Mayor Mark Sutcliffe and other officials for their refusal to support the cause last year.
“We are in the parade today to affirm very clearly that our Pride is not for sale,” the group declared, blasting elected officials and sponsors as enemies of queer liberation.
The standoff dragged on until Capital Pride suddenly announced on Instagram that the parade was cancelled just before 3 p.m. Thousands of marchers and onlookers were left stunned as Ottawa’s Pride celebration crumbled under political pressure.
The collapse comes a year after Capital Pride sparked outrage with a statement condemning both the October 7 terror attacks and Israel’s military response. The Jewish Federation of Ottawa branded the statement antisemitic and boycotted Pride events in protest. Sponsors and politicians followed, with Sutcliffe withdrawing his support.
That controversy simmered into this year as Queers for Palestine mounted a campaign demanding the statement be restored. Though Capital Pride scrubbed it from its website during a redesign, the group insisted its “principles and values” remained unchanged.
Signs reading “No pride in genocide” filled Parliament Hill as protesters clashed with Pride participants. Organizers were accused of caving to radicals and abandoning their mandate to host a celebration for Ottawa’s queer community.
What should have been a day of unity and visibility ended in anger, accusations, and the complete collapse of Ottawa’s Pride parade.
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