On the same day thousands of people attended the Edmonton Pride Parade to show their support for sexual and gender diversity, someone cut down a pride flag from a south Edmonton school and replaced it with a Canadian flag.
According to a spokesperson for Edmonton Public Schools, a pride flag was removed from Lillian Osborne High School some time on Saturday morning. The flag appeared to have been cut down from the pole as the remnants of it could still be seen.
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Watch below: Despite wet and gloomy conditions, thousands of people gathered in Old Strathcona on Saturday to take part in the 2017 Edmonton Pride Parade.
Edmonton Public Schools said it was disappointed by the vandalism and said it values the diversity of its student population.
Trisha Horobec, who lives near the high school, said she was also disappointed by the message the act of vandalism sent.
“This flag was designed to say, “Hey, our LGBTQ community, they’re part of Canada.’ The message I took away from that flag being cut down is somebody came out here and said, ‘No, you don’t belong.'”
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Hours after the flag was cut down, the Edmonton Pride Festival tweeted it would provide the high school with a new flag.
The Edmonton Pride Festival also organized Saturday’s Edmonton Pride Parade.