As Ireland celebrated five years of same-sex marriage, homophobes took it upon themselves to deface a Pride mural
The mural had abusive messages scrawled over it
As Ireland celebrated five years of same-sex marriage, someone took it upon themselves to vandalise a Pride mural.
The mural shows a rainbow and was created by students at the Patrician Secondary School in Newbridge, Co Kildare, in solidarity with the LGBT+ community.
The Pride-themed mural was painted on a bordering wall between the town’s secondary and primary schools, but it was destroyed by vandals at nighttime.
Vandals scrawled the words “F**K LGBT B*****D” in black paint over the mural, along with a small rainbow with a crossed out symbol over it.
The Pride mural in Ireland will be restored to its former glory by dedicated students.
The incident occurred around the same time as the fifth anniversary of Ireland’s historic marriage equality referendum, the Leinster Leader reports.
The mural was painted by students earlier this year as part of an educational project. Students have reportedly committed to restoring the mural to its former glory.
The mural is there because of the attitude that saw it defaced in this way. It was put there to counter that type of thinking.
Kieran Behan, an art teacher at the school, said the incident was “sad and frustrating” and said it is the first time the mural has been defaced since dedicated students painted it.
“The mural is there because of the attitude that saw it defaced in this way. It was put there to counter that type of thinking.”
The defaced mural sends out ‘a bad message’.
They are already working on bringing the mural back to its former glory – it has already been coated over with masonry paint and it will be painted again, Behan confirmed.
“Volunteers from the Kildare Youth Theatre have offered to give a hand,” he said.
“If we left it there as it is, it would be sending out a bad message.”
The incident comes less than five months after a gay couple were brutally beaten in a homophobic attack in Newbridge.
The couple were in the town’s train station on January 31 of this year when the they were set upon by three people who kicked repeatedly, with one stabbed four times.
