Niagara Catholic school board trustee compares Pride flag to a Nazi flag

Niagara Catholic District School Board (NCDSB) trustee Natalia Benoit is under fire following her comments in a YouTube video comparing the Pride flag to the Nazi flag.

In the video, Benoit said, “…any flag at all. Yeah, like a Nazi flag. We don’t want that either, right?”

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The Pride flag will go up at Niagara Catholic schools for a third year on June 1, for Pride month, a decision Benoit would like to see reversed. CHCH News reached out to Benoit for comment but the school board said no trustees were doing interviews today, only the director.

“It was disappointing to hear the equivalency made between the Pride flag and the Nazi flag,” NCDSB Director of Education Camillo Cipriano was behind the decision to raise the Pride flag again this year.

He said, “For us, the Pride flag is a symbol of love, of inclusion, acceptance. The flag that it was referred to is for us a symbol of hate, of prejudice, of intolerance. Again, completely the opposite of what the rainbow flag is presenting for us in Niagara Catholic.”

Board chair Danny Di Lorenzo says that this comparison is not reflective of the school board or the trustees. “This is hatred because you’re comparing it to a Nazi flag and that is unacceptable.”

This incident comes just a day after York Region faced its own controversy around not raising the Pride flag in June.

READ MORE: York Catholic school board votes against flying Pride flag at main office

From the provincial level, education minister Stephen Lecce says he’s concerned about the type of language used by the Niagara trustee.

Lecce said, “To draw a parallel to a universally reviled symbol of hate and fascism is disturbing. We need our members, our trustees, our elected officeholders to do better in standing up for human rights for everyone and that includes, most especially, the LGBTQ community who’s facing some of the highest rates of violence and bullying in our schools.”

2SLGBTQIA+ groups in Niagara say that comments like this coming from a school board trustee are harmful.

“They’re choosing to use a symbol of hope and love and inspiration as a message of hate. They’re actively choosing that. this isn’t a fear, this is hatred,” De Divitiis said.

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Enzo De Divitiis with Pride Niagara says flying the Pride flag at schools is a visual indicator of acceptance. “That flag is a reminder and an indication to say even though you may not be here yet, even though you may not feel comfort or strength yet, there are people around you that do and there are people around you who accept you and this is a visual reminder to say that you are loved and accepted.”

Benoit may still have the opportunity to discuss the reversal of the Pride flag decision, it is expected to be discussed and voted on at the board meeting on June 20.

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