Police are investigating the latest theft of a Pride flag in Southwestern Ontario, one of several cases of anti-LGBTQ theft and vandalism throughout June, which was Pride month.
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Aylmer police say it was around 7:30 a.m. on June 29 when officers responded to a theft complaint on Beech Street. Investigators found that at 11:45 p.m. the night before, two men were seen at the address, police said.
One man was seen with a flashlight at the end of the driveway, while another made their way to the Pride flag, and tore it down before running east on Beech Street, police said.
Police said that at the time, one man was shirtless with black shorts and a white ball cap, while the other had black shorts and a white shirt.
Anyone with information is asked to call Aylmer police at 519-773-3146 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at; 1-800-222-8477.
Despite a stern warning From Ontario Provincial Police at the start of Pride month, rainbow-coloured symbols were targeted in several incidents in rural communities across the London region in June. The incidents included:
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TILLSONBURG
Tillsonburg – a town about 60 kilometres southeast of London – has experienced multiple cases of vandalism related to Pride colours in the community. The most recent involved a rainbow-coloured boardwalk at the Station Arts Centre on Bridge Street, which was
vandalized twice in two weeks: On June 9, someone riding a red-and-white dirt bike used its rear tire to damage the wood and paint of the boardwalk. Two weeks earlier, on the night of May 27, an incident also involved a rider on a red-and-white dirt bike. Last year, a nearby rainbow crosswalk was also targeted four times by vandals, resulting in the Oxford Pride committee’s decision to remove the rainbow colours.
NORWICH TOWNSHIP
Norwich first garnered attention last year when its town council banned non-government flags on municipal property, seen by critics as a way to
Ban Pride flags in the municipality (a decision since overturned). Oxford OPP asked for the public’s help identifying a person who damaged a Pride flag at a home in the town early on June 22, just weeks after police warned they were taking a zero-tolerance approach to would-be vandals of Pride symbols. The community of about 11,000 people south of Woodstock had a series of Pride flag thefts last year.
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DRUMBO
Oxford County’s first reported incident of Pride-related vandalism in 2024 took place in the community of Drumbo, northeast of Woodstock. In March, Oxford County OPP were asking for the public’s help identifying the driver of an older-model red pickup truck caught on video doing a
burnout on a Pride crosswalk in the community. Police said the instance of vandalism left tire tread marks on the LGBTQ symbol.
-with files from Brian Williams, The London Free Press
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