Victoria Pride parade re-routed due to protest, but no 'significant' incidents reported

Protesters are seen on the Victoria Pride Parade route on July 7, 2024. (Reddit/ferniekid)

A group of pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted the Victoria Pride Parade over the weekend, forcing authorities to re-route the procession.

The Victoria Police Department said around 40 protestors blocked the parade route along Humboldt Street on Sunday, but that there were no serious altercations reported.

"Although there were some minor interactions, including one preventative arrest and release made on site, the group dispersed within about 40 minutes without significant incident," said Cheryl Major, VicPD's director of community engagement, in an email to CTV News.

The protesters taking part in the blockade chanted slogans and carried signs, some of which read "Queers for a free Palestine" and "Queer Jews say no pride in genocide."

In a statement, the group accused the Victoria Pride Society of "pinkwashing" for welcoming certain floats to participate in the event.

"Pinkwashing is a deliberate strategy used by governments and corporations to exploit their relatively progressive stance on queer rights with a goal of deflecting attention away from the violence they are committing, through violations of human rights and international law," the statement said.

"Any float in this parade that supports and profits from genocide does not and cannot support queer liberation."

The group did not specify which floats it was referring to, only that they represented some "government institutions and corporations."

Participants issued several demands, including for the VPS to publicly call for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.

The VPS has not responded to a request for comment from CTV News, but president Ace Mann described the blockade as "totally fine" in an interview with the Times Colonist.

“We completely appreciate the right and necessity for queer people to protest for what they believe in,” Mann told the publication.

Late last month, the Toronto Pride Parade was interrupted by another pro-Palestine demonstration.