A crossing in Bristol city centre, painted in the colours of the Pride Progress Flag, has been defaced. The colourful crossing - which aims to give visibility to the LGBTQ+ community - was first painted last year and then redone last month to coincide with Pride Festival.
The graffiti, which can be seen on the Castle Park side of the Wine Street puffin crossing, reads "Jesus Loves Sinners". It is not known who is responsible for the vandalism, but it has occurred during the city's two-week long Pride festival.
The flag was first painted, in place of the usual black and white road markings, in 2021. The same words defaced the crossing shortly after it was painted then too but it only took 48 hours for it to be removed.
There were calls for it to be repainted as the colours had started to fade but Bristol City Council said there was no budget to do so. However, when the council approached a contractor, Colas Ltd, to see how much it would cost the transport infrastructure company offered to cover the costs and the work for free.
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Speaking last week when the crossing was repainted the director of Bristol Pride, Daryn Carter MBE, said: "It’s great to have the crossing repainted in time for this year’s festival as a very visible reminder that Bristol welcomes everyone and the city’s commitment to equality and diversity. The pandemic robbed us all of the opportunities to come together and socialise and for some in the LGBT+ community that’s lead to increased isolation."
Speaking in response to the same vandalism last year a Bristol City Council Spokesperson said: "This rainbow crossing has been installed to celebrate Bristol's LGBTQ+ community who bring so much diversity and vibrancy to our city.
"This act of vandalism or any act of hate against any of Bristol's communities will not be tolerated and sits in stark contrast to the values of unity, equality and inclusion that Bristol Pride stands for."
Bristol Pride and Colas Ltd have been contacted for a comment
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