Organizers of the Vancouver Chinatown Lunar New Year parade have changed course and rescinded their rejection of two progressive and LGBTQ+ groups that they previously barred from participating.
Organizing committee spokesman Frank Huang says letters have been sent to the groups Chinatown Together and Lunar New Year For All, approving their participation in Sunday’s parade.
Huang didn’t give any reasons for the reversal in a brief interview in Mandarin late Friday.
In previous letters and statements, the committee had told Chinatown Together that it couldn’t march because of a ban on “political activism,” while it rejected another group it didn’t identify because of “the potential for disruption and protests.”
Later on Friday, the two groups, Chinatown Together and Vancouver Lunar New Year For All Queer Lunar New Year, issued a statement saying they want a public apology from the committee and a commitment to transparent communication for all future parades.
Sunday’s Spring Festival Parade in Vancouver is celebrating its 50th anniversary and marks the year of the dragon, which starts on Saturday.
Extra police officers will be deployed to the parade and celebrations, but Vancouver police say there are no specific public safety risks and the move is aimed at managing the large crowd.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
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