Police investigate suspected hate crime at Waltham Forest Pride
Police are looking for a woman who shouted abuse at people participating in Waltham Forest Pride. (YusufJP_/ Twitter)
Police are investigating a suspected hate crime which took place at Waltham Forest Pride yesterday (July 27).
Footage from the parade shows a woman wearing a niqab shouting abuse at a participant wearing a rainbow flag.
The woman can be seen screaming: “Shame on you. God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.”
She goes on to call people taking part in the event “shameless” and “despicable.”
A police spokesperson told The Independent: “We are aware of footage circulating on social media of abuse directed at those taking part in the Waltham Forest Pride event and enquiries are taking place.
“Abusing someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity is a hate crime and we would encourage victims and those who were there when this took place to come forward.
“If you have been verbally or physically abused, harassed or attacked in any way by someone because you are or they think you are LGBT+ please report these crimes to the police.”
Disgusting homophobic abuse at those on Waltham Forest Pride today.
No matter what form hate comes in, we must stamp it out and say no to all forms of hate! Also, very importantly we cannot call out one form of hate but be silent/complicit on others. @GalopUK @stonewalluk pic.twitter.com/kDAFoAb8Vw
— Yusuf Patel (@YusufJP_) July 27, 2019
Yusuf Patel, who describes himself as a counter extremism practitioner, posted the video of the incident on Twitter.
He wrote: “Disgusting homophobic abuse at those on Waltham Forest Pride today.
“No matter what form hate comes in, we must stamp it out and say no to all forms of hate!”
Labour MP for Walthamstow Stella Creasy said she was “gutted”
Gutted to see this and clear such hatred isn't acceptable anywhere let alone in our home town- proud that many from all faiths and none today including Islam joined the Waltham Forest Pride march to show Walthamstow really does mean welcome #loveislove https://t.co/9ocEyy4tsQ— stellacreasy (@stellacreasy) July 27, 2019
Stella Creasy, Labour MP for Walthamstow, also addressed the suspected hate crime on Twitter.
Creasy said: “Gutted to see this and clear such hatred isn’t acceptable anywhere let alone in our home town- proud that many from all faiths and none today including Islam joined the Waltham Forest Pride march to show Walthamstow really does mean welcome #loveislove.”
Analysis last month showed that homophobic and transphobic hate crime has more than doubled in England and Wales in the last four years.
