Council has solution for Pride mural vandalism: “Hate is not going to win”

In East London, LGBTQ+ individuals and the broader community gathered to celebrate the installation of new Pride flags after previous ones were vandalised multiple times.

The flags, including the Progress Pride flag, were initially painted on the pavement at the junction of Woodgrange Road and Forest Lane, near Forest Gate station, as a symbol of inclusivity. However, these messages of acceptance were not embraced by everyone, leading to several acts of vandalism in the spring and summer. The defacement, involving paint and graffiti, imposed cleaning costs on Newham Council and caused distress within the local LGBTQ+ community.

In March, phrases like “say no” and “drink toilet water” were scrawled on the flags. By June, they were entirely covered in red paint, with the word “no” and a large black X added a month later. The Metropolitan Police treated this vandalism as an anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime and released images of a person, whose face was concealed, using a roller to paint over the flags.

No arrests have been made.

In mid-July, people of all ages gathered to overwrite the vandalism with messages of love and acceptance, such as “homophobia can do one” and “no hate,” along with numerous hearts and smiley faces.

Instead of repainting the vulnerable flags, local authorities and Forest Gayte Pride replaced them with rainbow-coloured wraps on lampposts, positioned beyond reach, ‘MSN’ reports.

To commemorate their installation, LGBTQ+ community members and allies convened at Woodgrange Market for an event featuring singing and speeches by local politicians and activists. Labour MP Uma Kumaran, representing Stratford and Bow, addressed the crowd, describing the vandalism as “absolutely awful” but affirming that its impact had not discouraged the community. “It was painted again and again and again and what we realized is we don’t want to play this game with them, we are defiant. Pride is a protest and their hate is not going to win here.”

She emphasised that the vandalism was more than “just a bit of paint on the floor,” recognising it as an attempt to erase identities, which she vowed never to allow during her tenure. As a non-white woman in the public eye, she shared that she is “not a stranger to hate,” explaining that she had to disable comments on social media after posting about the vandalism due to the “sheer scale of outrage.”

“I don’t know why people are so easily triggered but I thought to myself: ‘I’ve got to protect myself and protect my mental health’. I’m not going to hide away from tweeting about it but I absolutely am not going to let you win either,” she stated.

She reflected on her experiences, acknowledging the compounded challenges faced by those who are both people of colour and LGBTQ+, or who belong to unaccepting faith groups.

Looking forward, she expressed hopes for an even larger protest and celebration at the next Forest Gate Pride, emphasising unity. Newham Council Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz also spoke at the event, pledging never to “turn a blind eye to the hate that we have seen in this part of our inclusive borough.”

The mayor advocated for an intersectional approach to combat prejudice head-on.