“Come and join us in the 21st century”: Matlock shop refuses to back down after Pride Flag vandalism

A gift shop in Matlock, Derbyshire, has pledged to continue flying the Pride flag outside the business, despite it being torn down by vandals over the weekend in what many believe is part of a wider backlash against LGBTQ+ visibility in the town.

Workers at Coco Gifts in the town discovered the damaged flag on Sunday morning. The flag had been proudly displayed since June, following a controversial decision by Matlock Town Council to remove a Pride flag from outside the Christian Cornerstone Bookshop after complaints from its trustees.

Natasha Critchlow, who works at Coco Gifts, said on Facebook: "Sadly when we arrived to open up this morning, we found that someone has managed to fully rip down our Pride flag from above the front door - as you can see from the bent pole and tuft of flag left attached.

"We know no one will own up to this but we’d just like to tell whoever it was to grow up and come and join us in the 21st century... We don’t discriminate here. Also just to add on we found broken glass which didn’t look like a drink glass all smashed outside and water of some sort on the inside of the shop."

The incident comes amid a fraught summer in Matlock, where the politics of flag-flying have stirred tensions. The original removal of the Pride flag from the bookshop was justified by the council on grounds of public safety and liability, but critics argue the decision was a capitulation to homophobic pressure.

The Cornerstone Bookshop, run by a 'Christian charitable trust', stated it did not want to “promote homosexuality” and preferred to fly national or regional flags instead. However, the trustees insisted they welcome all visitors regardless of sexuality and denied any threats to remove the flag themselves

Derbyshire Dales MP John Whitby also weighed in, stating, “I fully support the display of Pride flags… If the flag was taken down as a result of complaints that its representation of the LGBTQ+ community was offensive, then I believe it should be reinstated.”