Jewish Defense League holds protest at Pride Toronto

[Scurrilous]

'We'll be back, fags': JDL member

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"By the end of the protest at the offices of Pride Toronto (PT) on April 15, members of the Jewish Defense League of Canada (JDL) were throwing anti-gay slurs like “fag” at a small, mostly silent group of rainbow flag-waving gay people.

On one side of the street were about 20 JDL supporters with Israeli and Canadian flags and signs with statements like “Palestine is a disease, a plague.” On the other side were about 12 PT supporters, smiling and trying not to be drawn into the JDL debate. “We’re protecting ourselves against fascist, racist homophobes,” said queer activist Ashleigh Ingle when asked about the fracas by a pedestrian.

“Go be gay in Saudi Arabia,” one JDL protestor shouted. Others chanted, “We love Rob Ford. Get it straight.”

JDL is an international organization dedicated to "protect Jews from anti-Semitism by whatever means necessary." It has chapters in several US states, Canada, South Africa and a few European countries. The US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) describes the JDL as “a rightwing terrorist group” and says it has been involved in plotting terrorist attacks in the US. There is nothing to suggest that is true of the Canadian chapter.

The Toronto protest was a response to the April 12 city manager’s report that states, "City staff have determined that the phrase ‘Israeli apartheid’ in and of itself does not violate the city’s anti-discrimination policy.” The JDL is calling on the city to strip PT funding if it does not "denounce" Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA)."

http://www.xtra.ca/public/Toronto/Jewish_Defense_League_holds_protest_at_Pride_Toronto-10031.aspx