The Carnival Band has always been a pacifist activist band. When we show up at a march or rally, we aren’t there to fight—we are there to bring music, joy, and community. Our horns and drums make public space feel safer, more connected, and more alive.
Our commitments stretch across struggles: Indigenous sovereignty, climate justice, migrant justice, racial justice, and human rights everywhere. These struggles are linked, and so is our solidarity.
We take concerns about antisemitism, Islamophobia, anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Black racism, and all other forms of hate seriously. We stand firmly against all of them. There is no place for hate in our music, our community, or our activism.
At the same time, we affirm the right to peaceful protest. Criticism of any government—including Israel, Canada, or any other—is legitimate political expression. That is not the same as hatred toward a people or a religion, and it should not be confused as such.
When we take part in actions like “Draw the Line,” it is not because we endorse every sign, slogan, or speaker. We are there because we believe in nonviolence, in human rights, and in the power of music to support people who are taking risks for justice.
Our promise is simple:
We will never bring hate into the streets.
We will always defend the rights of Jewish, Palestinian, Indigenous, and all communities to safety, dignity, and self-determination.
We will keep bringing our music as a way of creating space for peace, joy, and solidarity.
This is who we are. This is why we play.