WATCH ABOVE: A Calgary gay club has posted video on Facebook to bring attention to what they call a hate crime. Global’s Online Reporter Erika Tucker has the details.
CALGARY – The owner of a gay nightclub in Calgary said he and his staff were in disbelief after watching surveillance video that caught a man “dressed as a ninja” ripping down their pride flag in the early hours of Thursday morning.
“This is not the first time we’ve had our flag stolen,” said Ray-Jean Fafard. “But this is the first time that I’ve seen someone go through that much trouble and actually plan it out. I’ve raised it over the years, so it’s heart wrenching.”
Fafard said the man was dressed all in black with a scarf over his face. In the video, you can see he brought a garbage can to stand on in order to reach the flag on the outside wall of Twisted Element. He said surveillance video suggests it happened at around 4 a.m. Thursday.
“You see him showing up, putting the can under the flag pole where the pride flag hangs. He gets on it, can’t reach it so he goes to the back alley…comes back…then stands on his tip toes,” said Fafard. “He yanks on it really, really hard…just bent the pole right in half and ripped it out. He took the flag, left half the flag pole.”
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Fafard said he’s had pride flags stolen throughout the 11 years he’s owned the club, but not like this.
“I can see a bunch of drunk guys, thinking, ‘Oh let’s rip it off,’ and you know it’s just a stupid prank, but this is different,” he said. “Dressing the part, covering your face, black gloves and hat like a ninja. That’s a deliberate hate crime because now you’re going after something specific.”
Fafard said he had yet to file a police report, but reached out to an officer on the diversity resources unit via email.
Calgary police couldn’t comment on the situation since it hasn’t been reported.
The police website defines a hate crime as “a criminal occurrence committed against a person or property which is motivated by hate, bias or prejudice based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, language, mental or physical disability, sex, age, or any other similar factor.”
The video was posted to both the Twisted Element Facebook page and Fafard’s own page, and it had over 2,000 views as of Friday night. Comments included disbelief that such a thing would happen in Calgary as well as personal examples of discrimination.
Fafard, originally from Quebec, said he’s been living in Calgary for 27 years, and the tolerance for the gay community has gotten “better than what it was.”
“But I’m going to go to Flag Works and I’m going to put six flags up this time, and I’ll make them bigger and brighter. I’m not going to get swayed by this. My community is strong.”
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