Leicester-based LGBTQ+ friendly hair salon has Pride flag ripped down for fifth time

A Leicester-based LGBTQ+ friendly hair salon has accused perpetrators of stealing its Pride flag for the fifth time, in what the owners have described as a targeted anti-LGBTQ+ hate incident. 

The Secret Garden, run by salon owners George Waterfield and Darren Cunningham, proudly displays a rainbow Pride flag outside its premises in the city. Since introducing the flag in 2023, it has now been stolen on five separate occasions - the most recent in the early hours of Sunday, 22 February. 

CCTV footage released by the business shows two men approaching the salon at about 5am, one climbing onto his companion’s shoulders to reach and pull down the flag before making off with both the banner and its pole. Mr Waterfield said the thieves appeared to be acting deliberately, crossing the road towards the flag and attempting to unhook it multiple times before succeeding. 

“We’ve had it done five times now,” Mr Waterfield told journalists. “When they’re walking they cross over to purely rip the flag down because they don’t like the flag and what it means.” He described the repeated thefts as “undoubtedly a hate crime” and said the costs of replacing the flag, typically around £50 each time, have mounted significantly. 

The owners have reported the latest incident to Leicestershire Police, who have logged the matter and issued a crime number, but no arrests have been announced. Mr Waterfield expressed concern that the offenders might recognise him, given his presence on social media, and stressed that the thefts occur under cover of darkness when there are few witnesses. 

The Secret Garden has positioned itself as an inclusive, gender-neutral salon, charging customers based on the service provided rather than gender, and has vowed to continue flying the Pride flag despite the repeated thefts. “We’re not going to be silenced like that,” Mr Waterfield said.