Argument over LGBTQ issues at Montreal protest unrelated to Gaza war

"At a pro-Palestinian rally, a Muslim woman tells a 'Queer for Palestine' that he's not welcome in the movement," claims the caption of a September 3, 2024 video on X. 

The clip, which accumulated more than 60,000 likes, depicts two people arguing -- one wearing a hijab and the other draped in a Pride flag.

The person holding the rainbow banner says in French: "I left my country because of you, you are extremists," drowning out what sounds like the rebuttal: "My girl is a girl, my boy is a boy." 

The video also appeared on Facebook and Instagram alongside similar claims -- including some in Spanish -- that it shows pro-Palestinian protesters clashing over LGBTQ issues.

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Screenshot of an X post taken September 11, 2024

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Screenshot of an X post taken September 11, 2024

Protests over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have been frequent since Hamas's unprecedented attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023 triggered a military campaign in the Gaza Strip, resulting in a massive humanitarian crisis.

The Palestinian militant group killed more than 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and took 251 hostages, according to an AFP tally of official figures. 

Ninety-seven hostages remain in Gaza, 33 of which the Israeli military believes are dead. Israel's retaliatory air and ground campaign in the territory has killed more than 41,000 people, also mostly civilians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

While LGBTQ issues are sometimes a flashpoint in debates between activists, the video spreading online predates the war. 

A reverse image search surfaced the clip in news articles about a September 2023 march in Montreal.

A reporter from the Quebec news channel TVA shared a version of the video on X on September 20, 2023. The caption says the footage is from the sidelines of "a rally against 'the promotion of gender ideology by the government and in schools'" (archived here).

Another local outlet, 24 Heures, depicted the confrontation from a different angle in a TikTok post compiling its reporting on the demonstration, which organizers called the 1 Million March 4 Children (archived here).

Reports from other Canadian media outlets describe marches across the country in which people called for limiting LGBTQ subject matter in school. Many marches were met with counter-protesters advocating for LGBTQ rights and visibility, including in Montreal.

An AFP journalist covered the demonstration in Montreal and did not hear discussions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Local reporting also does not mention the issue coming up at marches in other Canadian cities.

Posts from groups affiliated with the 1 Million March 4 Children indicate a similar protest is planned for 2024. 

Read more of AFP's reporting on misinformation in Canada here.