Woman charged with hate crime after abusing Pride-goer wearing rainbow flag
Police are looking for a woman who shouted abuse at people participating in Waltham Forest Pride. (YusufJP_/ Twitter)
A 38-year-old woman has been charged with a hate crime public order offence following a homophobic incident at Waltham Forest Pride.
The woman, Jamila Choudhury of east London, was charged last week after being arrested on 29 July in connection to the incident.
On 28 July, footage posted on Twitter showed a woman wearing a black niqab shouting abuse at a Pride-goer draped in a rainbow flag.
Choudhury is due to appear on bail at Thames Magistrates’ Court on 3 October, according to ITV.
Woman charged for hate crime after shouting abuse at Pride participant.
In mobile phone footage, the woman can be heard screaming: “Shame on you. God created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.”
Opposite a solicitors and a chicken shop in Hoe Street, part of the parade route, a warden can be seen escorting a participant away while the woman continues to harangue passersby.
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
She dubbed Pride participants “despicable” and “shameless”, many of whom can be seen ducking in and out of shops behind her as the parade continued toward Town Square Gardens.
Moreover, Yusuf Patel, who describes himself as a counter extremism practitioner, posted the video of the incident on Twitter. It quickly attracted widespread criticism from Twitter users and UK lawmakers.
At the time, the Metropolitan Police released the following statement: “We are aware of footage circulating on social media of abuse directed at those taking part in the Waltham Forest Pride event #wearewalthamforestpride and enquiries are underway.
“Abusing someone because of their sexual orientation or gender identity is a hate crime.”
Labour MP for Walthamstow Stella Creasy said she was “gutted”.
Stella Creasy, Labour MP for Walthamstow, addressed the suspected hate crime on Twitter.
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
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.”
Furthermore, Pride organisers also published a statement on its Facebook page shortly after news of the suspected hate crime broke.
We Are Walthonstow Pride denounced the incident, but emphasised that Islamophobia directed at the suspect is not tolerable either.
“We… condemn outright and unequivocally all forms of hatred and abuse, including Islamophobia and anti-Semitism and want to make it absolutely clear that this was one, lone individual.
“In no way do that person’s views represent the views of any section of the local community,” the statement added.
“We utterly condemn this, and any attempts to use this incident to fan the flames of discord between communities in our great borough.
“Hear this – it hasn’t worked in the past, it won’t work now, and it never will.”
In addition, the incident occurred just a month after an analysis showed that anti-LGBT+ hate crime has soared in England and Wales in the last four years.
