Police are investigating after a Pride flag was ripped down from a home in the Halifax area for the second time in recent weeks.
In a release, Halifax Regional Police said officers received a report of property damage in the Spryfield area on May 7.
“At approximately 7:30 p.m. two youths ripped down a Pride flag that was displayed at the residence and then fled the area on foot,” the release said. “The youths are described as being in their early teens.”
Police believe hate to be a “motivating factor,” and was the second case of its kind in about a month.
On April 5, police received a report of a Pride flag being destroyed by youths at a residence in north-end Halifax. The resident, who spoke with Global News, said she was “shaken” by the incident.
“We’ve experienced these sorts of traumas and hatred and misunderstandings as well for many, many, many decades,” she said at the time. “But I thought we had made some progress.”
The suspects in the April case were described as males, 10 to 12 years old, with one youth having dark curly hair. They have not yet been identified, police say.
“We recognize that incidents of this nature can be very harmful to our community,” the release said. “We take incidents that are believed to be motivated by hate towards an identifiable group very seriously.”
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Bay View High incident
The latest incident comes shortly after three youths were charged after a Pride flag signed by recent graduates was set on fire at Bay View High School in Upper Tantallon on April 21.
The incident was widely condemned by many members of the school community. Shortly after it happened, a sign along Hammonds Plains Road in front of the school was put up with the message: “Love Wins.” The same was written in chalk in front of the school’s entrance.
The Halifax Regional Centre for Education has said those involved in the incident “received appropriate consequences” in accordance with the Provincial School Code of Conduct Policy. HRCE does not share these consequences publicly due to privacy concerns.
On Monday, the Glitter Bean Café, a queer-centred coffee shop in Halifax, had a new Pride flag available for community members to sign, which will be donated to Bay View High School.
Glitter Bean co-owner Alex Marchand said she was disappointed by the hate-motivated incident at the school.
“(High school is) such a historically bad time for the queer community, so it’s nice to have that reminder that people get through it,” Marchand said. “So having that flag burned was very upsetting.”
The new flag will be available at the café for people to sign until 6 p.m. Monday. Marchand said they might leave it out for another day if there is enough interest.
“What we’re trying to do here is just make sure that we’re all sticking together, really having a sense of community,” she said. “We’re resilient, we’re still here.”
The new flag, said Marchand, will serve as a reminder for those who hold hate for the queer community.
“You can try to get rid of us, but it’s not working,” she said.
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