Following an act of vandalism in Liverpool at the town’s visitor centre Lunenburg PRIDE are calling on police to investigate the incident as a hate crime.
Region of Queens Mayor Darlene Norman informed the community of the incident last week and noted that the vandalism which included graffiti was homophobic in nature.
The first mention of the incident from the RCMP came a day later on January 9, when they issued a release that included a photo of the suspect and confirmed they were investigating the matter as mischief. Their release made no mention of the graffiti being hateful in nature.
Queens RCMP are seeking help identifying a masked man who is believed to have vandalized the Liverpool Visitor Centre. Photo: NS RCMP.
Lunenburg Pride Chair Steve Ellis wants to see police recognize this as a hate crime and pursue it as such, “When an individual uses hateful language against the LGBTQ+ community it is a hate crime and should be taken with the utmost seriousness period,” Ellis said.
The visitor centre’s staircase is painted in pride colours which were installed as a symbol of inclusion in the community which Ellis says makes this incident even more troubling, “This was meant to show that Queens is a welcoming place for the LGBTQ+ community so it’s incredibly disheartening to see something like this at a place that was meant show how inclusive this community can be,”.
Ellis was pleased to see that local government recognized the importance of an incident like this, commending Mayor Darlene Norman for coming out with the news early and condemning it.
Ellis reached out to other local governments asking them to share their condemnation of the act, and so far the Municipalities of Chester and Lunenburg and the towns of Bridgewater and Lunenburg have done so. He has yet to receive a response from the town of Mahone Bay
“In recent years local governments in this area have made a point of saying they are allies to the LGBTQ+ community, and part of being an ally is when things like this happen standing up to them and to say they are wrong,” Ellis said.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Queens County RCMP or Nova Scotia Crimestoppers.
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