Toronto :Police Chief Mark Saunders will meet with organizers of Pride Toronto today to discuss security amid concerns over an apparent threat against the annual Pride parade.
On Tuesday a post that was made on a German-language online message board supporting the Islamic State surfaced.
The post – which provides the date, time and location of the Pride Parade – states that the event would make an “excellent target.”
Spokesperson Mark Pugash confirmed that Toronto police were aware of the post, but said he would not comment further on public threats.
Pride Toronto’s executive director Mathieu Chantelois, however, organizers of the annual festival are taking the post “very seriously.”
“Obviously I can’t comment on any of this, but what I can tell you is that tomorrow at noon we are meeting with the chief of police,” Chantelois said.
It is not clear whether today’s meetings had been arranged previously to the post surfacing.
Over the weekend, Chantelois had said that Pride Toronto organizers intended to meet with police to discuss security in light of a deadly shooting targeting a gay nightclub in Orlando.
Today’s meeting will take place at noon at Toronto police headquarters on College Street.