Security at Montreal Pride increases after Orlando
The organizers of Montreal Pride celebrations said that security has been increased in the wake of the Orlando shooting that killed dozens in a gay nightclub earlier this year.
Jean-Sébastien Boudreault, vice-president of Montreal Pride, said that the festival is working with a new security agency for increased safety.
Montreal police will also have an increased presence, alongside the Sûreté du Québec.
Boudreault added that since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be attending the parade on Sunday, the RCMP will also be present to ensure everything goes smoothly.
“Some of (the officers) you’ll see, they’ll be in uniform. But some of them won’t be,” Boudreault said.
“We don’t want people to think they’re in a police state, we don’t want to change the mood of the festival.”
Simon Durocher, chief of Station 22 with the Montreal police, said that Montreal Pride did not want to become a “fortress.”
“After what occurred in Nice and Orlando, naturally we have put measures in place,” Durocher said.
“We increased personnel, that’s for sure, but we don’t want to create a climate of fear.”
Boudreault said that living in fear is what the people perpetuating these attacks want.
“And that’s one of the things we don’t want to be doing in Montreal,” he said.
A float bearing the faces of the slain Orlando victims will be present at the parade on Sunday.