Anti-Israel row threatens Pride Week funding

Queers Against Israeli Apartheid violated policy, city says

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"City bureaucrats may withdraw funding from Pride Toronto next year if the activist group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid is allowed to march in this summer's parade.

The city, which gave Pride $121,000 in 2009, believes its anti-discrimination policy was likely violated by QuAIA's conduct and even its very presence at last summer's parade, said general manager of economic development and culture Mike Williams.

(The city received complaints following the parade about the use of the phrase "Israeli apartheid.")

There could be "very serious" repercussions if Pride were to permit another violation, Williams said.

"We have the right to disqualify them from future grants, so we certainly would look at that," he said.

Characterizing his message as a "strong warning," he said, "every circumstance is different, so I'm loath to tell somebody flat out, `If this happens you won't get your money next year.' But it sure would become a very strong possibility."

Pride executive director Tracey Sandilands did not respond to messages requesting comment on Williams' statements.

However, in an interview hours earlier, she said Pride had not yet decided whether it would permit QuAIA to participate this year.

"We have no legal grounds to ban the word apartheid," Sandilands said. "While I understand there are a lot of people who don't like the wording, there's got to be more than just the name of the organization (to justify taking action)."

But, she said, the city has told them that Toronto Pride had contravened its anti-discrimination policy on the grounds that "those words make certain participants feel uncomfortable."

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Well, it's understandable that telling the truth can make some people feel uncomfortable -- but then, they most often SHOULD feel uncomfortable.