Rainbow flags to fly in Montreal, Quebec City for Olympics
Montreal City Hall and Olympic Stadium tower will also be cast by lit-up rainbow colours
Montreal City Hall and the Olympic Stadium are getting makeovers in time for the Sochi Olympics.
A rainbow flag will fly at city hall in quiet protest of Russian anti-gay propaganda law. Pascal Bérubé, Quebec's tourism minister, also confirmed the tower of Montreal's Olympic Stadium will be lit up in the colours of the rainbow.
“What I don’t like is that legislation in Russia against gays and lesbians,” said Mayor Denis Coderre.
Quebec City also announced on its Twitter account Thursday that it would wave a rainbow flag at its city hall, starting this afternoon.
“I believe that it was a great idea from my colleagues in St. John’s, Newfoundland that they want to use the rainbow flag and I’m going to do the same thing at city hall,” he continued.
In St. John’s, Mayor Dennis O’Keefe said council voted unanimously to support the initiative.
“Flying the rainbow flag during the Olympics is really a sign of support for people in other countries, in this case in particular in Russia,, the people who have been denied their liberties as individuals, and people who are being persecuted because of their sexual orientation," O'Keefe said.
The Sochi Olympics open Friday.
With files from CBC Newfoundland & Labrador