Pride parade participants showing support for Palestine have become one of the more reliable plot twists of recent Western street politics. In city after city, Pride events have seen pro-Palestinian, anti-Zionist, and increasingly anti-Israel activism move from the edge of the route to the middle of the road, quite literally.

This is not subtle stuff. In Philadelphia, pro-Palestinian protesters interrupted the Pride March with “No Pride in Genocide” messaging and pro-Palestinian chants. In Boston, protesters temporarily blocked the Pride route, with local reports describing clashes with police and several detentions. In Toronto, anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the parade route and forced organizers to cut the event short. In Ottawa, the Capital Pride parade was cancelled after Queers for Palestine blocked the route near Parliament Hill. In New York, activists blocked part of the Pride March near Stonewall, broke through barricades, and threw red paint or fake blood at the Human Rights Campaign float, because apparently nothing says liberation like making someone from event operations Google “how to remove theatrical blood from vinyl signage” on a Sunday afternoon.

The slogans have settled into a kind of liturgy. “No Pride in Genocide.” “No Pride in Apartheid.” “Queers for Palestine.” “Zionists out.” “No queer liberation without Palestinian liberation.” They are short, portable, camera-friendly, and best delivered in a crowd where nobody is expected to explain what would happen to the average Pride marcher if they attempted to hold the same........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)