30/06/2025
The Peter Tatchell Foundation for Human Rights says that whereas some police forces, such as Avon and Somerset Constabulary, have apologised for past homophobic harassment of LGBTQIA+ people, so several of the forces which were the most bullying in the past, have refused to commit to such an apology. In an article for the Independent, Mr Tatchell says "At the height of the Aids crisis in the 1980s, when hundreds of gay men were suffering slow, agonising deaths, the then-Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), James Anderton, denounced gay people as “swirling in a human cesspit of their own making”.... Regular police raids on the New Union pub, Rembrandt Hotel and the Clone Zone shop were acts of vindictive police harassment. Manchester police openly boasted: “We’ve been trying to close these queer places for years.” 21 out of the 45 chief constables in the UK – including the Metropolitan Police, Merseyside and Police Scotland – did just that, with many also implementing new LGBT+ supportive policies. They recognised the injustice done. In contrast, the GMP’s chief constable, Sir Stephen Watson, refused to apologise – as did his counterpart at West Midlands Police (WMP), Craig Guildford. They suggested that either there was no evidence of anything that justified an apology or that any claimed wrongdoing happened too long ago to matter. Some forces had a policy of releasing the names, addresses and workplaces of arrested men to the newspapers – sackings and evictions often followed. With the stigma of a criminal conviction for a homosexual offence, many victims outed by the police had great difficulty in getting new jobs and housing. Some were beaten up, their homes and cars vandalised by homophobic mobs. Others turned to drink or endured mental breakdowns and suicide attempts. It is not an overstatement to say that lives were wrecked by the police." For the full article, check out the Independent newspaper this weekend. https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/police-homophobic-witch-hunts-apolo...
