Vandals attack Pride flag outside police station: ‘Stay in the closet, perverts and freaks’
File photo of a police car
An anonymous group calling itself “Men of Bridlington” has claimed responsibility for cutting down a Pride flag that was flying outside a police station in a shocking homophobic diatribe.
The rainbow flag had been flying outside Bridlington Police Station in East Yorkshire to celebrate this month’s Pride in Hull festivities.
However it was cut down in the early hours of Sunday (July 29).
An email sent to the police force, local MP Sir Greg Knight, and local news outlets the Hull Daily Mail and Bridlington Free Times, claimed responsibility for the vandalism.
The email, sent under the moniker “Men of Bridlington,” claims: “The police should not be involving themselves in politics and should not be appearing to show bias towards fringe groups in society.”
It adds: “We especially object to the endorsement of the LGBT movement. Homosexuality is abnormal, perverted, anti-social, unnatural and dangerous.
“That is the view of normal people and within living memory, the practice of homosexuality was illegal in this country – for good reason.
“Homosexual relationships preclude, or are destructive of, normal families. Homosexuals engage in disgusting practices and spread disease. Homosexuality is not natural – nobody is ‘born’ a homosexual, it is a choice – and it has been found that homosexuals have often suffered abuse during childhood.”
The text of the message
It adds: “The police, of all bodies, should not be endorsing this, and it is completely unacceptable that they would. To any normal person, that flag could not be more offensive.
“We vandalised the flag the other evening, and we note that as a result of our actions, it has had to be taken down.”
“Should you re-fly the flag or anything similar, we WILL remove it and we will also take whatever other action we consider appropriate and proportionate.”
It adds: “We do NOT support the LGBT community. Our message to them is: We think you are perverts and freaks, and you need to keep it in the closet.”
Humberside Police is investigating the incident, and is treating the emails as a hate crime.
Police car (Stock photo)
The flag had been due to be taken down following the conclusion of the Pride event anyway, and will not be replaced.
Andy Train, chair of the Hull and East Riding LGBT Forum, lashed out at the “bigots” behind the attack.
According to the BBC, he said: “It’s as if you had some bigot from the 1950s and planted them in Bridlington.
“It’s a hate crime, I’ve been told that by Humberside Police, it is just evil and sad and bigoted.
“We had been on such a wave of euphoria after Hull Pride attracted 50,000 people but this shows there’s still a lot of work to be done to create a safe environment to live in.”
