Wortley Pride festival continues on despite protests and messages of hate

The third annual Wortley Pride festival held Saturday has tripled in size this year according to founder and president Kathy Bell, but messages of hate continue to threatened the event before it even began.

“Sadly, there was still protesting going on, and there were still some, negative messages written on the grounds here. But thankful to our community members in Wortley Village who saw it after it was done, and actually came out and washed it all away,” said Bell.

A small number of protestors showed up as the festival kicked off, but were met with supporters who used drums and chants of "love is power" to drown out the protest.

“We always have to prepare for that possibility. There have been some Facebook posts calling out, you know, only two genders and that there's going to be a protest here. And we have taken the necessary precautions to make sure that everyone is safe,” Bell added.

Wortley Pride in London, Ont. on June 8, 2024. (Marek Sutherland/CTV London)

London police had an increased presence around the event, and were using a drone to monitor any activity.

The event hosted over 80 vendors and events throughout the day.

Earlier this year, Londoner Richard Sillers was convicted of possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace after an incident at the 2022 Wortley Pride event.

Sillers, 38, was arrested after he drove up to the event during Drag Queen story time and pulled out a Canadian flag on a stick during the confrontation. Sillers was acquitted on a second charge of causing a disturbance.

He has a sentencing date scheduled for later this month. 

With files from Nick Paparella