Protesters denounce Israel-Premier Tech cycling team at Quebec Grand Prix
Posted September 14, 2025 12:53 pm.
Last Updated September 16, 2025 2:08 pm.
Protesters gathered on Sunday at the foot of Mount Royal in Montreal to oppose the participation of the Israel-Premier Tech (IPT) team in the Cycling Grand Prix in Quebec.
In a social media post, the groups Cyclists for Palestine, Palestinians and Jews United (PAJU) and Divest for Palestine are calling on citizens to mobilize and demand that the event organizers and sponsors “exclude the team complicit in genocide from the Grand Prix in Quebec.”
The organizations accuse IPT of “complicity with the genocidal entity” and “sportswashing”, a term used when an organization uses sporting activity to improve its reputation and cover up its misdeeds.
Protests against IPT have taken place in recent weeks at the Vuelta in Spain, prompting the team to change its jersey to remove any mention of Israel.
On Friday, a handful of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, also to oppose the presence of IPT at the competition.
IPT is not funded by the State of Israel, but by Quebec-born billionaire Sylvan Adams, who has been living in the country for years.
A cycling enthusiast, he is one of the team’s main sponsors.
Earlier in September, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his support for Adams because he refused to withdraw his team from sporting events despite protests from opponents.
The team’s other main sponsor is Premier Tech, a large Quebec-based company headquartered in Rivière-du-Loup.
It designs a wide range of products, including automated systems for the manufacturing industry, products used in water management and sanitation, and all kinds of products used in agriculture, such as fertilizers.
– With information from Patrice Bergeron, The Canadian Press
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
