Last Friday the Masthugg church i the Swedish City, Gothenburg, raised the rainbow flag for this year’s West Pride.
Yesterday, the Masthugg Church staff discovered that someone has cut down the entire flagpole and stolen the flag.
“The worst thing is that it happens for the second consecutive year,” says the Priest Esther Eva Lardner Björklund, to the Swedish newspaper GP.
According to a witness to the event, two cars turned up at the church around 01:30 night to Saturday. Up to ten people were there to help to get the flagpole down.
“I’m getting sad and angry. The matter of damage, is one thing, but what are upsetting is that – it was the Rainbow flag they wanted to get down. We have the waving Swedish flag for the remaining days of the year, and nobody cares about it, “explains Eva.
Then she adds:
“The worst thing is that exactly the same thing happened last year. The Rainbow flag did not even been up and waving for a day before someone cut down the flagpole.
GP has had contact with both the organisers of West Pride and the city of Gothenburg. They respond strongly to the occurrence.
“This is terrible and very serious. But also evidence of why the Pride Festivals are needed, says Tasso Stafilidis, chairman of West Pride’s board.
After last year’s tampering, it took a month to get a new flagpole in place. So it seemed to be in Pride Week without a flag next to the church.
But the chairman of the City Council Ann-Sofie Hermansson (S) does not want the church without a waving Rainbow Flag.
– The church without a waving Rainbow flag during West Pride, would give the people who did this a win.
She tells that, she has been in contact with Gothenburg City Director Eva Hessman on Sunday to see if the municipality can assist.
The municipality has temporary flagpoles used in different contexts. We believe that Parks and Nature office can deliver one to the church during Monday, or at least before the opening of West Pride. This is an open offer, if the church wants to, says Ann-Sofie Hermansson to GP.
If you have any information about this hate vandalism, please contact the local police in Gothenburg.
Photo by Benson Kua [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
