Peter Tatchell calls on Manchester Pride to ban police from Pride
– 2 min read
Veteran human rights and LGBTQ+ campaigner Peter Tatchell has urged Manchester Pride to ban Greater Manchester Police (GMP) from marching in this year’s Pride parade on 23 August unless the Chief Constable issues a formal apology for the "force’s past homophobic persecution of LGBTQ+ people".
In a letter to Manchester Pride CEO Mark Fletcher, Tatchell says GMP was “one of the most homophobic police forces in Britain” - especially during the reign of Chief Constable James Anderton 1976-1991.
“Officers raided gay bars, arrested LGBTs for kissing, insulted and outed them to the press, and drove some to attempt suicide. GMP were not merely enforcing the law, but doing so in an abusive and often illegal manner. Despite this gross persecution, GMP’s Chief Constable, Stephen Watson, has refused to apologise.”
“Pride should not be abused as a PR platform for institutions that refuse to say sorry for victimising the LGBTQ+ community. Until GMP apologises for the witch-hunts it inflicted on LGBTQ+ people, it should not be allowed to march in uniform or under a police banner,” said Tatchell.
While 21 UK police forces - including the Metropolitan Police, Sussex and Merseyside - have now apologised for their "past persecution of LGBTQ+ communities", GMP has refused. Its current Chief Constable Stephen Watson claims an apology would unfairly “impugn the faithful and valued services of past officers.”
Tatchell rejects this reasoning.
“We are not asking for a sweeping condemnation, but a targeted apology for abusive and illegal police actions. Many other forces have willingly said sorry. Why can’t GMP?”
“There are many well documented instances of historic GMP abuses. These include the 1984 raid on Napoleon’s bar where 23 officers seized the names and addresses of members, unlawfully photographed patrons and violently stamped on their feet. Victims were outed, some lost their jobs and had their homes and cars smashed up by homophobic neighbours.
“Manchester Pride should stand with the LGBTQ+ community and our demand for truth and justice - not with a police force unwilling to confront its homophobic past,” Tatchell added.
