Armed Forces event almost ruined after vandals ‘target’ pole flying LGBTQ+ flag

An Armed Forces event was almost ruined after vandals damaged a pole flying a LGBTQ+ flag to mark Pride Month.

The damage to the flag pole and its mechanism, which are located in Italian Gardens in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, was noticed this morning, councillor Ciarán Cronnelly said.

He revealed another flag pole flying an LGBTQ+ flag located in a park a short distance away was damaged earlier in the month.

They were both flying the rainbow flag for Pride Month, which runs throughout June and is dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ+ communities all around the world.

Speaking to Metro, Ciarán, who leads the Weston-super-Mare Town Council and sits on North Somerset Council, said he believed the attacks weren’t a ‘coincidence’.

He added: ‘This targeted intolerance is a stark reminder of why we continue to celebrate Pride.

‘Tolerance remains and it’s not going away any time soon.’

He explained that a team at the council are working alongside a contractor to fix the flag in the Italian Gardens, which was damaged most recently, to get these fixed ahead of Armed Forces and Emergency Services Day tomorrow.

The cost of fixing the mechanism is expected to be around £200 and represents an ‘unnecessary’ expense to the taxpayer, he said.

‘A temporary fix is possible for the Italian Gardens flag pole which means the Armed Forces ceremonial flag raising event at the Italian Gardens this evening at 6.30pm will go ahead,’ he said.

‘But due to the nature of the damage the flag can only stay up temporarily until a permanent repair to the flag pole has taken place.

‘Unfortunately the damage to the flag pole at Grove Park is significant and a temporary repair is not possible and therefore no flag will fly from this for the foreseeable.

‘To the individual(s) who cut these down and damaged the mechanisms – you may have hoped to have caused division, but I can guarantee you’ve achieved the opposite.’

This will mean that the flag will not fly for the day, which celebrates the work and sacrifice of the UK’s armed forces and emergency services.

Avon and Somerset Police have been contacted for comment.