Organizers for a spoken-word event commemorating the 1759 Plains of Abraham battle plan to include a reading from the manifesto of the Front de liberation du Quebec, causing some politicians to boycott the event.
The Quebec government has accused organizers of sympathizing with terrorists. The reading is part of a 24-hour event planned for the 250th anniversary of the battle.
"This is far from poetry and closer to the FLQ," Employment Minister Sam Hamad, the minister responsible for the Quebec City region, said.
"The FLQ to me is assassinations, it's bombs, and we completely disassociate ourselves from this event."
The federal government has also condemned the event with Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Jos�e Verner calling it "a sovereigntist show."
Artistic director Brigitte Haentjens has asked for Hamad to apologize for his comments and said her group is insulted.
She says the government is stepping on artistic liberty.
The FLQ manifesto is one of 140 texts that will be read aloud during the event. They range from the Canadian anthem to poetry by Leonard Cohen to former French president Charles de Gaulle's 1967 "Vive le Qu�bec libre" speech in Montreal.
With files from The Canadian Press
