A vandal attack on a billboard poster advertising Bristol’s Pride events has been condemned.
The attacker set fire to the bottom corner of the billboard within 24 hours of the poster being stuck up. Police have described the act as a 'hate crime', and organisers of Pride have said this is a reminder of why the festival exists and is still a protest.
Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees has also condemned the attack, saying there was ‘no room for senseless vandalism or hate’ in Bristol. Sadly, this is the second attack on the community in less than a week.
Read next: Neighbours fill street with rainbow doormats after couple's was sprayed black
People living in a street in Bristol have responded to a homophobic attack on a gay couple’s rainbow doormat by going out and buying their own. Now the street in Bedminster is gradually filling with the colourful doormats, and the couple who were left shocked by the attack say they have been overwhelmed by support.
Bristol Pride is a series of events over the course of the next couple of weeks, leading up to Pride Day on Saturday, July 8, which will see a march through the city centre and a festival event up on the Downs.
After the billboard poster in Montpelier was targeted in the arson attack, a spokesperson for Pride called on the city to come together and show support more than ever before. “We are upset to announce that after less than 24 hours of being up, our 2023 billboard was set alight in what we can assume was a targeted action against our LGBT+ community,” they said.
“Considered acts of hatred like this are the reason why Pride remains a protest, as well as a celebration of visibility. It only gives evidence as to why we need Pride and to show up supporting each other.
“More than ever, we need allyship, we need to call out hate and prejudice, and remember that our freedoms must be protected, rather than take complacently. This cowardly act follows a recent incident of homophobia in Bedminster, in which rainbow doormats were targeted and vandalised,” they added.
That is a reference to a story Bristol Live broke over the weekend. A gay couple put out a rainbow doormat in front of their home and had the first one stolen and when they glued the second one down, it was sprayed black in a homophobic attack. People living in the same street responded by buying rainbow doormats themselves as a show of support for their neighbours.
The arson attack comes after prominent anti-trans commentator, GB News presenter and former actor Laurence Fox filmed himself burning a row of Pride flag bunting in his own back garden, and tweeted the video on Sunday afternoon. Police and firefighters in Bristol said they were called just after midnight on Sunday night, into the early hours of Monday morning, to Station Road in Montpelier, and officers would now be carrying out house-to-house and CCTV inquiries in the area, and speaking to any witnesses.
The organisers of Pride asked people in Bristol to show their support. “We need your support, please get a supporter wristband if you can. We also still need volunteers to help support our community and Pride Day. But mostly we need you to show up on Pride Day, Saturday, July 8, louder and prouder than ever and show that hate has no home in Bristol,” they added.
Mayor Marvin Rees condemned the attack on the billboard. “Really disappointing to see this,” he tweeted. “There is no room for senseless vandalism or hate in Bristol.
Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Tom Gent said: "We have recorded this as a hate crime at this time. We do not tolerate such crime and an investigation is underway. We are reaching out to event organisers to keep them updated on our investigation. If you were in the area and saw anything suspicious, or have dashcam, CCTV or doorbell footage, please contact 101 and quote reference 5223143992 to the call handler."
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