Peter Tatchell “forcibly ejected” from Birmingham Pride after calling for West Midlands Police to apologise for past homophobia

Peter Tatchell has reported he was “forcibly ejected” from Birmingham Pride and “threatened with arrest” after calling for West Midlands Police to apologise for past homophobia. The LGBTQ+ rights campaigner said: “My crime? carrying a placard and using a loudhailer to criticise past West Midlands police homophobia and demand a police apology.”

His placard read: “West Midlands Police refuse to apologise for anti-LGBT witch-hunts. Shame!”

The Peter Tatchell Foundation‘s Apologise Now campaign aims get British police forces to apologise for their past “homophobic witch-hunts”.

Late TV star Paul O’Grady backed the apology campaign before his death. He was present during a police raid on the gay bar, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in London, on 24 January 1987. He describes the raid as “homophobic…we were being treated like animals.”

Peter added: “[West Midlands] Police made the false claim that I was not authorised to march in the parade and the organisers had asked me to be removed. Bot untrue.

“Police in the parade laughed at me as I spoke about two gay men who attempted suicide as a result of police persecution. They crowded around me and blew whistles to stop the public hearing about their past homophobic witch-hunts. Shame!”

Forces who have apologised include Sussex, City of London, Gwent, Merseyside, among others.