Marty Walsh confirmed in a morning statement that attempts late on Saturday to strike a compromise with parade organisers to allow a group of gay military veterans to march had collapsed.
“As mayor of the city of Boston, I have to do my best to ensure that all Bostonians are free to participate fully in the civic life of our city,” said Walsh. “Unfortunately, this year, the parties were not able to come to an understanding that would have made that possible.”
In registering his disappointment at the dispute, the mayor noted that “so much of our Irish history has been shaped by the fight against oppression”. He said he would be spending the day with his family.
Walsh’s decision came after the failure of a campaign by MassEquality, an LGBT rights campaign group in Massachusetts, to persuade the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, which organises the parade, to allow the gay veterans to openly take part.
