Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
High street Pride display destroyed in ‘targeted attack’
A display depicting a drag queen performing at Kent’s biggest Pride festival has been destroyed - sparking fears it was a “targeted attack”.
The mural in the window of Canterbury’s former Debenhams store was installed along with a number of other images celebrating the city.
But because the other displays were left untouched, the incident on Monday has sparked fears the vandalism was motivated by homophobia.
The director of the city’s Pride festival, Jonathan Fitter-harding, says the sight of the ripped-up vinyl sends a “chilling message” to those walking through the area.
“The person who did this was really determined to make sure it couldn’t be repaired because it has happened before, and it was repaired,” Mr Fitter-harding said.
“We’ll replace it again, but obviously there is a cost to that and that cost comes from putting on the event which is frustrating.
“On a Monday morning you’ve got students going through the town to colleges and schools, you’ve people going to work and they will have seen that hundreds of times and to see that it has been defaced sends a chilling message.
“It will make people feel concerned about society as a whole and the direction that we are going.”
The mural showed Willam Belli - who previously appeared in Rupaul’s Drag Race - performing at Canterbury’s Pride festival.
Mr Fitter-harding says the vandals paid particular attention to the performer’s face and the text celebrating the city’s annual LGBTQ+ event. The activist, who thinks it will cost £500 to repair, believes it may have been a response to national protests around drag queen storytelling events for children.
“Seeing what is a celebration of our community be destroyed makes me feel there are parts of society that still don’t want us here and are still unhappy to acknowledge our community,” Mr Fitter-harding added. “I would say it feels like a targeted attack and that is what it will feel like to the community as well.
“For young people that is scary.
“If you’ve got a 16-year-old who hasn’t come out yet and they see, they’re going to think twice about whether to come out, they’re going to wonder if it is safe and what the reaction is going to be.” Mr Fitter-harding believes the incident shows “there is still room for more acceptance of LGBTQ+ people” locally and that “this is another reminder of why now, more than ever, we need Pride”.
Leader of Canterbury City Council, Cllr Ben Fitter-harding, added: “This incident really saddens me. Pride Canterbury is such a fantastic event for the city, bringing joy for both residents and visitors and promoting what an inclusive place Canterbury is and the great sense of community we have.
“We will not let the actions of a small number of people take that away from us. Pride is here to stay and deeply unpleasant incidents like this only serve to make us stronger.”
The window display was only restored in December after previously being vandalised three months earlier.
Due to its growing popularity, Canterbury Pride will be held over two days this summer, on June 10 and 11.
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‘It feels like a targeted attack and that’s how it will feel to the community...’