Queers Against Israeli Apartheid plans to march in Toronto Pride, organizers be damned. The furor over the group’s calls to end “Israeli apartheid” won’t keep the merry band of Palestinian sympathizers from celebrating their gayness, a spokeswoman insists. But will it mean they’ll start calling themselves Queers in Favor of a Free Palestine? Probably, if a Toronto city councilor’s threat to withdraw $121,000 in funding for the pride parade holds up. [Jewish Times]
Queers Against Letting Queers Against Israeli Apartheid March In Toronto Pride
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Scott in NYC
They should not be stopped…everyone, including “Queers” are entitled to be as rock stupid as they want to be.
Brent
Free speech supporters held a heated protest at Pride Toronto HQ last week – check out vid here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT3ZBKaQ9q0
whatever
Is there a “queers for killing humanitarian workers on international waters” group that is also barred for protesting?
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
What a bunch of asshats, spew your antisemitism towards Israel and support the Palestinaians??? No different than a Jew supporting a Nazi……….. At least there is some tolerance or the Gays in Israel……………..
Derek Washington
I’m not anti Israel, but, I can’t help but recall that Israel never signed on to a boycott of apartheid South Africa back in the day and many of their military helped train the racist police forces there. Their policies in Gaza seem to replicate much of the nastiness of the Boars.
I’m just glad some homos know enough about world policies to want to make a statement.
alan brickman
GAYS CAN BE THE BIGGEST BIGOTS SOMETIMES….big surprise…
BitchinaThong
Down with Israeli apartheid! Long-live Mandela!
whatever
@Derek Washington: Yup. True. Israel even tried to sell nukes to the Apartheid government of SA, so SA could use it against its neighbors. Birds of a feather…
Ha, I think it’s Boers, but Boars does also describe their savagery pretty well. :p
Tallskin
Oh god, I’m not getting involved in this debate
Just thought I’d mention that
Cam
Sorry, but I have no sympathy for a state where gays are murdered and have to flee. Our brothers and sisters are being murdered and imprisoned by the Palestinian govt. so as far as I’m concerened marching for them would be the same as marching in support of the two guys that murdered Matthew Sheppard. They can go fuck themselves.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
@Cam: 100% Co-sign, yet watch all the thumbs down clicks we are going to get from supposed fellow Gays……………..
Aaron
The Gay Pride Parade should be about gay pride, not Israeli Apartheid.
MissLaWanda
this is all so racist.
Bill Perdue
@Tallskin: Is that the better part of valor? 🙂
DR (the real one, not the guy who made post #12)
The only thing I’ll comment on is this:
How fair is it that one group out of who knows how many thinks it has the right to dictate the funding issue? There isn’t a lot of cash to be had, and they’d rather see the Pride event lose over $100K than either rename or find a place where they will be welcome? I look at issues which aren’t just “LGB issues”, and while I may not agree with this particular group, they have the right to speak, but do they have the right to cost the event so much money? That bothers me.
Bill Perdue
Yesterday zionist pirates attacked a convoy or relief ships bringing food and medical supplied forbidden by the zionist colonizers.
The zionists have been using apartheid, ethnic cleansing and, terrorism agaisnt Palestininas since day one. They periodically engage in ethnic cleansing on a large scale thats killed tens of thousands.
The deaths from zionist ethnic cleansing are nothing compared to the deaths the zionists cause day in and day out by their apartheid policies and relentless denial of food, healthcare and shelter to Palestinians.
The approach of GLBT communities to the fight of the Palestinians should be full support. And a warning to the zionists – when push comes to shove the only thing the US and the English are interested in is oil. They are there for the oil and have no other loyalties.
We should explain to the zionist colonists that their days as a power in the region are numbered. They can make their peace with a democratic, secular and hopefully socialist Palestine or await their fate.
The zionists only permit about a third of the food and other supplies need to sustain Palestinians in Gaza.
It’s an example of slow, relentless, remorseless ethnic cleansing by starvation. It’s exactly the same tactic the Nazis used on ghettos and Russian and Polish citizens until they began the mass murders.
————————-
Toronto Pride screwed up big time. Here’s a statement by the founders of Toronto Pride condeming the rightwing censorship of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid.
[img]http://desertpeace.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/palestinian-flag.jpg[/img]
[img]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8t59jorH2DM/SUA6EqGdKCI/AAAAAAAADmk/MdqmLR0AsVw/s400/Gay+Flag.jpg[/img]
Bill Perdue
Yesterday zionist pirates attacked a convoy or relief ships bringing food and medical supplied forbidden by the zionist colonizers.
The zionists have been using apartheid, ethnic cleansing and, terrorism agaisnt Palestininas since day one. They periodically engage in ethnic cleansing on a large scale thats killed tens of thousands.
The deaths from zionist ethnic cleansing are nothing compared to the deaths the zionists cause day in and day out by their apartheid policies and relentless denial of food, healthcare and shelter to Palestinians.
The approach of GLBT communities to the fight of the Palestinians should be full support. And a warning to the zionists – when push comes to shove the only thing the US and the English are interested in is oil. They are there for the oil and have no other loyalties.
We should explain to the zionist colonists that their days as a power in the region are numbered. They can make their peace with a democratic, secular and hopefully socialist Palestine or await their fate.
The zionists only permit about a third of the food and other supplies need to sustain Palestinians in Gaza.
It’s an example of slow, relentless, remorseless ethnic cleansing by starvation. It’s exactly the same tactic the Nazis used on ghettos and Russian and Polish citizens until they began the mass murders.
————————-
Toronto Pride screwed up big time. Here’s a statement by the founders of Toronto Pride condeming the rightwing censorship of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid.
Bill - Las Vegas
Open Letter to Pride Toronto from founders of Pride in 1981
May 27, 2010… “As founding members of the Toronto Lesbian and Gay Pride Day Committee, and people involved in organizing the first Pride event in Toronto at the end of June in 1981, we stand totally opposed to the decision of the current Toronto Pride Committee to ban the use of “Israeli Apartheid” at Toronto Pride events. This banning of political speech is clearly an attempt to ban the participation of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA) and queer Palestine Solidarity supporters from the parade and from participation in a major event in our communities. This sets a very dangerous precedent for the exclusion of certain political perspectives within our movements and communities from Pride events.”
There’s no point in trying to censor GLBT critics of zionist apartheid, ethnic cleansing, piracy and worst of all their policy of starving Palestinians and preventing relief supplies form getting in.
The zionist colonial administration in occupied Palestine periodically engages in ethnic cleansing on a large scale.
However the deaths from zionist ethnic cleansing are nothing compared to the deaths the zionists cause day in and day out by their apartheid policies and denial of food, healthcare and shelter to Palestinians. It’s an example of slow, relentless, remorseless ethnic cleansing by starvation. The zionists only permit about a third of the food and other supplies need to sustain Palestinians in Gaza. It’s exactly the same tactic the Nazis used on ghettos and Russian and Polish citizens until they began the mass murders.
The approach of GLBT communities to the fight of the Palestinians should be full support. And a warning to the zionists – when push comes to shove the only thing the US and the English are interested in is oil. They are there for the oil and have no other loyalties. We should explain to the zionist colonists that their days as a power in the region are numbered. They can make their peace with a democratic, secular and hopefully socialist Palestine or await their fate.
Reece
@Derek Washington:
It is true that Israel didn’t boycott S. Africa in the 1980s, but neither did the US. Some countries believed that 25 years of boycotting hadn’t worked to end apartheid, so it was better to engage the regime constructively and to provide incentives to change. In other words, more carrot, less stick. The same issue comes up today w/ respect to North Korea and Iran. One can debate which side was right and which wrong as to what would work. But just b/c a country opted for constructive engagement doesn’t mean that it supports apartheid.
Israel legally bans racial discrimination, in contrast to every one of its neighbors.
@Whatever- You are an idiot and worse, you are an idiot who thinks he is knowledgeable. Israel never sold nuclear weapons to anyone and doing so would have created a crisis in relations with the US which has as a top priority the curbing of proliferation. It also would have caused a severe crisis with the USSR.
S. Africa actually independently developed and exploded its own nuclear device in 1979 so it never needed to buy a weapon from anyone.
Bill - Las Vegas
@Reece: The zionist carrot was military aid to the SA colonists and racists and their stick was the same thing applied anaisnt the ANC.
The zionist regime legally practices the racist theft of land from Palestinians and persues the racist of policy of slowly starving them to death. It has for decades.
The zionist adminstration is not a democracy. It’s a colony planted on the Palestinian homeland by bruytal, relentless force.
whatever
@Reece: Wrong. American/Reaganite support for the apartheid regime had everything to do with Cold War realpolitik and nothing do with constructive diplomacy, lol, what Orwellian doublespeak!
And yes, Israel tried to sell nukes to the racist apartheid regime, all in the name of constructive diplomacy, dontcha know? :p
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/23/israel-south-africa-nuclear-weapons
“Israel pressured the present South African government not to declassify documents obtained by Polakow-Suransky. ‘The Israeli defence ministry tried to block my access to the Secment agreement on the grounds it was sensitive material, especially the signature and the date,’ he said. ‘The South Africans didn’t seem to care; they blacked out a few lines and handed it over to me. The ANC government is not so worried about protecting the dirty laundry of the apartheid regime’s old allies.'”
Birds of an apartheid feather, do stick together…
whatever
By the way, Reece, I never said Israel sold anything. I said they TRIED to, which the declassified memo clearly proves. But thanks for playing. 🙂
Lanjier
I think Israel has behaved appallingly toward the Palestinian people. To this day, they insist on building settlements on disputed West Bank, where Palestinians had hoped for their own state. They walled them off, blow up their towns and cities, and how shoot unarmed people. They don’t deserve their own state, if they are going to act this badly. I would like to see Israel replaced with a secular state, one where the people in charge do not believe they are God’s chosen people and that God gives land to certain religions. Just a bunch of nuts.
edgyguy1426
I guess this is our semi-annual Israel vs. the Palestinian debates.
reason
Actually Israel and South Africa worked together to create the bomb and relations were close. Israel saw S. Africa as a test of its own ability to survive in a hostile region. With S. that hostility was justified with Israel I will let you decide. Israel was also dead set against embargos on S. because they feared the same thing used against them would lead to there demise. So while it may seem ironic that a country so dead set against embargos is enforcing one with all of its strenght and the blood of the inoccent, but it is not. Every decison Israel makes is about their survival, and nothing will get in the way of that quest. Most people believe the ends justify the means, the U.S. and Saudis were happly radicalizing muslims to head of to fight the “godless communist.” Jews are suvivors, always have been, they have faced some great challanges through a four thousand year history. I empathise. I want to see them safe in their homeland, but what is starting to happen is they are so focused on survival that they are losing themselves and who they are. They will likely succed in securing their home, but I am almost afraid to think of what they may become in the process. Spend to much time dancing with the Devil you may become one.
Cam, your argument parallels the thought process of a true narcissist. Your basically saying let all the gays in Palistine rot to death because lots of people there have hurt your ego. Hopefully that is not the way you think, if it isn’t you need to rework your statments.
To me we are fighting a cultural war, were not fighting people, ethnicities, or religious backgrounds; were fighting ideas. It is about instilling values of respect, rule of law, freedom, truth, and productivity; those are some of the ideals that the west adopted from archaic Jewish society, and hopefully “all people” around the world that have seen the benifit from those ideals don’t loose sight of them in the blood lusting quest to destroy them in this fake me versus them equation.
reason
Ancient Jewish… not archiac.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
To all those who seem so bent on tossing hate at Israel and defending Palestine, read the following link about the abuses fellow Gays are subject to by those wonderful loving citizens and officials in palestine……
http://www.indegayforum.org/news/show/27154.html
Don’t you people get it??? There is a rabid hatred for all things Gay from any muslim country. Tens of thousands of Gays have been beaten, tortured, and killed in the most reprhensive savage methods ever devised. Thousands of savages cheered in a public square where two Gay teens, arrested when they were 14 and 16 years old simply for being Gay. After two years of a series of whippings where their flesh was torn from their bodies, suddenly new “crimminal acts” were discovered and they were sentenced to hang. View these pictures of 2 Gay teens strangled in a public square in front of a cheering mob:
http://www.queervisions.com/2005/compassion-for-iranian-gay-teens-lost-to-religious-insanity/
Anyone still wish to defend any muslim country now????
reason
@PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS: Still missing the point one is hanging the gays the other starving them to death in a blockaded ghetto. Both acts are “savage.” There is another way to acomplish goals than by using the hammer. Decades of hammer and no progress, it is Einsties definition of Insanity. What ever the case our country has spent to much time and tresure, blood and dollars, we needed a resolution yesterday.
whatever
@PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS: Well that settles it. Any atrocity committed by Israel is now justified. Thank you for pointing out the error of my ways.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
@reason:
@whatever:
Have you guys viewed the video of the incident?? The Israelis boarding those boats were attacked by metal pipes, by those “humanitarian activists” There was info there were weapons on those “mercy ships” They have been lobbing missles into Israel for years and the world expects they to simply say “please sir may I have another?”
……Good god how can you guys support Palestatine???
Walk down the street there with another guy, show even the slightest hint that you are Gay and you’ll probably be dead in minutes……….
whatever
@PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS: Why was Israel boarding the boat? It was in international waters, not their territorial waters.
And do you know what Israel is doing to those murderous villians with weapons out to destroy their precious commando force? They are releasing them with NO charges! Yup. Terrorists being let go just like that.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
@whatever: Maybe because basicaly the whole world is once again turning on them…….It is such a transparant exhibit the ususl Israel hating.
Palestinian has been lobbing missles into Israel for years now, killing scores of Israelis. Why no outrage against Palestinian?
If Mexico or Canada began lobbing missles into the US would you not expect a response???
whatever
@PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS: The right wingnut leadershit in Israel is the reason people are turning on Israel. Yitshak (sp.?) Rabin was the best, brightest hope for lasting Israel-Palestinian peace. He was assassinated by a far-right extremist, and the current leadership shares his assassin’s worldview and not Rabin’s. So sad and tragic.
Brian
It’s time for this insanity to end. Is this going to go on for centuries. What the hell is it with the middle east and it’s addiction to turmoil and violence. These are not the actions of civilized people. This is no way to live. Jews all over the world think it’s time to settle this in an equitable manner. I’m no friend of Muslims and they’re not about to change their religious homophobia any more than the Catholics that think you’re intrinsically evil or the holier than thou born again Christians but that isn’t the point. Hateful fanatics or not, they have just as much right to have their own state and live in peace as the Israeli’s. To rationally criticize Israel is not anti semitism and it’s time to stop playing that card. To ban this group just because you don’t agree with their political views is outrageous and the city council member(s?) should be ousted.
j
@Brian:
Brian, if you can go to the Middle East and sit all the parties down, and come up with a solution to all this violence – then more power to you. There is no peace because these peoples have been fighting for centuries. I seriously think there has been no peace beacause they don’t want it. Fighting has become a way of life. Just like the Hatfields and the McCoys (and really, if anyone doesn’t know what this is, please google it). I get so angry watching the happenings in the Mideast. It is frustrating! We all think we can just grab the leaders of these factions by their collars and sit them down and hammer out a reasonable peace treaty. But ultimately, something causes a huge problem and peace talks are called off. It’s relentless and infuriating and also seemingly futile. I don’t think there’s ever going to be a resolution that everybody can live with. I have been to Israel and Palestine. I just don’t know……
Brian
@j: Completely agree. That’s why I think we should get out and stay out. I think the only way Israel is going to be motivated to resolve this is if we were to discontinue funding them until they do and I wish we would but politics being politics, nobody’s going to have the balls to do that. In the meantime, I say let people voice their opinions one way or the other in a civilized manner and leave it at that. My view – USA out of the Middle East and holy wars out of the USA ! In the immortal words of Edward R. Murrow, Good Night and Good Luck !