London’s Metropolitan Police are conducting a thorough investigation and house-to-house enquiries to track down a masked vandal who painted over three Pride flags outside Forest Gate station in east London early on Friday morning.
Dressed in a green hooded jacket, dark tracksuit bottoms, and a white face mask to conceal their identity, the vandal used a roller to paint over the LGBTQ+ flags. This incident follows previous acts of vandalism on June 23 and 26, where the painted flags were similarly defaced.
Authorities believe these incidents are connected and have been diligently reviewing CCTV footage and conducting door-to-door inquiries to identify the suspect. However, no arrests have been made so far.
Detective Inspector James Rush from the North East Public Protection Unit, who is leading the investigation, has appealed to the public for information. He stated, “We stand with the local LGBTQ+ community and will not tolerate these disgusting, inexcusable hate crimes in Forest Gate. We are committed to continuing our thorough investigation and attempting to identify the offender, who we believe is the same person who committed the damage in June at the same location.”
This spate of vandalism in London mirrors recent incidents in New Zealand, where rainbow crossings have been repeatedly defaced. These acts of vandalism, aimed at symbols of LGBTQ+ pride, highlight a disturbing trend of targeted hate crimes against the community in different parts of the world.
