‘Pride should not be abused as a PR platform for institutions that refuse to say sorry’
A human rights activist has urged Manchester Pride to ban police from taking part in this year’s Pride parade(Image: ASP)
Manchester Pride bosses have been urged to ban uniformed police from marching in this year’s parade by a prominent human rights activist.
Earlier this year, Peter Tatchell revealed he had written to Greater Manchester Police’s current chief constable Stephen Watson to apologise for the force’s historical ‘gay witch-hunts’, which have included raids on Gay Village venues and infamous comments that homosexuals were ‘swirling in a human cesspit of their own making’.
Mr Tatchell, who was a leading member of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) between 1969 and 1974, wrote in the letter that an apology from GMP would ‘send a powerful message to those who endured persecution at the hands of predecessors’, and allow many in the LGBTQ+ community to feel heard and recognised by the police force.
Whilst Mr Watson said in response he was ‘of course sorry’ that police bodies prior to the GMP’s foundation in 1974 ‘didn’t always perform to the standards deserved’, he said an apology would make ‘little or no difference’ and could be seen as ‘merely performative’.
Now, Mr Tatchell has urged Manchester Pride’s CEO Mark Fletcher to ban GMP officers at this year’s Pride parade, which will take place on August 23, from marching in uniform or by carrying GMP banners.
Greater Manchester Police chief constable Stephen Watson(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
“Allowing GMP to march in uniform at Manchester Pride—without a formal apology or acknowledgment of the harm caused—sends the wrong message,” Mr Tatchell said in the letter to Mr Fletcher, dated July 2.
“Pride is a protest as well as a celebration. It should not provide a PR platform for institutions that have yet to show accountability and remorse for their anti-LGBT+ past. Until GMP issues a sincere and public apology for its historic persecution, I urge Manchester Pride to not allow the police to march in uniform or with a GMP banner.”
Manchester Pride has been contacted by the Manchester Evening News for comment on the letter, but representatives have been unable to provide a statement in time for publication.
Greater Manchester Police were also approached by the Manchester Evening News for comment, and issued a previously-released statement which said: “The GMP of today is proud to serve and protect all communities in our dynamic city-region.
“We strive to engage with all our diverse communities to understand their non-recent experiences and ensure they feel policing of today is doing more to listen to concerns and work together to make Greater Manchester a safer place for everyone.”
This year’s Manchester Pride parade will take place on August 23(Image: Carl Sukonik)
Speaking of the Manchester Pride parade, a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police today added: “Planning remains ongoing for this year’s Pride event, and we are in contact with local partners and event organisers as part of this process.”
21 police forces in the UK, including the Metropolitan Police, have issued apologies for their past prosecution of the LGBTQ+ community. Mr Tatchell said he rejects Mr Watson’s reasoning for refusing to apologise.
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He explained: “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 LGBT+ community and our demand for truth and justice – not with a police force unwilling to confront its homophobic past.”