Remembering the Admiral Duncan nail bomb attack 17 years on
The 17th anniversary of the worst homophobic attack to ever occur in Britain will be remembered today.
At the heart of the capital’s LGBT community on the evening of 30 April 1999, the Admiral Duncan pub on Old Compton Street in Soho was the scene of a nail bomb blast that killed three people and wounded around 70.
Human rights activist Peter Tatchell (centre) at a vigil organized by the direct action gay rights campaigning group OutRage! in Old Compton Street, Soho, London, 7th May 1999. The gathering follows the bombing of the Admiral Duncan, a gay pub on the street, by Neo-Nazi David Copeland on April 30th. (Photo by Steve Eason/Getty Images)
The bomb was the third that had been planted by Neo-Nazi David Copeland.
He was attempting to stir up ethnic and homophobic tensions by carrying out a series of attacks across London.
Copeland, from Farnborough, Hants, later admitted causing explosions in Brixton, Brick Lane and Soho during 13 days in April 1999.
He is currently serving six life sentences.
Andrea Dykes, 27, who was pregnant, and friends John Light, 32, and Nik Moore, 31, from Essex, were killed in the Soho attack.
Events usually take place in London’s Soho, seeing people gather outside the Admiral Duncan, followed by moments of silence.
Marking the 15-year anniversary of the attack, back in 2014, a three minute silence was held at 6.37pm to mark the exact moment when bomb was detonated.
The infamous hate-crime killer Copeland was last year handed an additional sentence following an attack on a prison inmate.
