Tensions over faraway turmoil hit close to home for N.B. festival seeking to avoid strife
CBC
The Saint John Newcomers Centre, official hosts of one of the largest multicultural festivals in Atlantic Canada, is evaluating a revised format aimed at minimizing conflict and maximizing joyful expression of the city's growing diversity.
That's because global events — in particular, the crisis in Gaza — have challenged the festival's core values of making everyone feel welcome, represented, and safe.
That came into sharp focus last year, when Culturefest in the Valley, the companion event that visits the towns of Rothesay and Quispamsis, was cancelled two days before it was due to start in September 2024.
"Out of safety concerns," recalled Sochi Azuh, speaking for the Newcomers Centre. "That was painful because a lot of planning had gone into it."
When the 2025 festival returned to Saint John in August, police arrested one youth for an alleged assault and a man for possible obstruction after responding to calls about "Palestinian demonstrators" and an incident at the Israel table.
Police told CBC News that multiple callers that day described protesters wearing red bags over their heads, and one person in a military uniform was said to be carrying a gun, later determined by police to be a water gun filled with red liquid.
As of Oct. 15, according to police, the file had yet to go to the Crown prosecutor's office for review to determine whether any charges will be approved. A pending court appearance on Tuesday for one individual hinged on whether that review would be completed in time, said police.
While the facts of the incident have yet to be tested in a court of law, the Atlantic Jewish Council was quick to call it an act of hate against Jewish people, while others who were there that day say the protesters were exercising their right to free speech.
Organizers described it as a regrettable incident and one they hope to avoid in the future, by tweaking the festival's format to further emphasize unity.
In September, when the festival did return to the valley, the Newcomers Centre launched what it called an "innovative pilot program" to show how "artistic diversity binds us as a unified region."
"The artistic corner is a new initiative we're trying," said Azuh, walking among several tables and pointing out their themes.
Stations for hairstyling, beadwork, wreath-making, calligraphy and paper-folding encouraged visitors to observe and participate.
Asked if this was a deliberate move away from assigning tables to particular countries, Azuh said, "I think it's easy to see how that may look."
He added: "I believe it is also a way to put people more at ease without being confrontational or being confronted by issues that distract them from actually experiencing the cultures presented to them."
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