For the fifth consecutive year, there will be no St. Patrick’s Day parade in the nation’s capital. Organizers were denied a parade permit, according to CTV News Ottawa.
“We could not receive our parade permit due to a number of events happening throughout the city that would use up police resources,” Irish Festival co-chair Tracey Dixon told the outlet.
“We’re hoping to try again next year,” she added.
While the pro-Israel side sung Canada’s national anthem, Hamas supporters chanted to ‘free Palestine’ and ‘F*** Canada’ at duelling rallies separated by police outside of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in Montreal.
MORE: https://t.co/Q1x3Ar1EK7 pic.twitter.com/bppyKy7SF0
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) March 6, 2024
After the parade was last held in 2019, the yearly celebration was cancelled the following year when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. Festivities in 2023 were cancelled due to a lack of funding and volunteers.
One “event” happening in Ottawa that is likely to “use up police resources” on the March 15 weekend are the weekly pro-Hamas rallies held in the city.
On Feb. 4, an Ottawa Citizen report noted how the demonstrations have been going on for 17 weeks at that point.
Canadian government set to resume funding for UNRWA
The Canadian government temporarily stopped funding in January following Israel’s revelations that 12 UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.https://t.co/jgTJYrQ4H4
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) March 6, 2024
The weekly protests have continued, with CTV reporting “hundreds” attended the 20th weekend protest, a march that started at the Human Rights Monument in the city’s downtown core.
Perhaps the most controversial of these demonstrations came just ahead of Christmas this past December, where the pro-Hamas crowd called for “no Christmas as usual” amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Conflict erupted in the region on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas-led terrorist attack against Israel which left 1,200 dead and saw hundreds taken hostage.