Warwickshire Pride vandalised for the third consecutive year prompting community cleanup
"This is our annual f**k you to the people who come and attack Pride" chair Dan Browne said in a video response
By Aaron Sugg
Organisers have spoken out after the Warwickshire Pride site in Leamington was vandalised for a third year in a row, with significant damage to a trans tent.
Dan Browne, chair of the county Pride, said that “a gang” attacked the site overnight ahead of the event on Friday 16 August, with flags being torn down or stolen “as per usual,” in a video on social media.
Browne added that tents were damaged, with “the trans tent in particular … pretty trashed.”
“Big thank you to everyone who has turned up to help” – Dan Browne
In the Instagram video, Browne said: “This is my annual f**k you to the people who come and attack Pride and what we’re trying to do. Absolute arsewipes.”
He also called on the community to help clean up, prompting a strong turnout. As reported by BBC News, he said, “We’ve managed to turn the vandalism, the negativity and the hate into something positive – pure community power.”
“A really fantastic day of community power” – Dan Browne
Posting in a separate Instagram post after his call to action the organiser wrote: “Massive community response. Big THANK YOU to everyone who has turned up to help.”
Despite the setback, the festival went ahead successfully, with several hundred people participating in a town centre march and thousands visiting the festival site.
Browne described the event as “a really fantastic day of community power” and “a really fantastic and positive day.”
Performances included local drag queens Kirsty Minchella-Storer and Anita Bush. This year, additional security was hired to help minimise damages.
In previous years, gazebos were destroyed, glass was scattered across the site and attempts were made to set fire to flags.