London, Ont. man's Pride flag torn from front porch, rainbow crosswalk vandalized in Owen Sound
London resident, Stephen Karchut, is expressing shock and deepened sadness after finding out his Pride flag was ripped from his front porch around 7 p.m., Sunday evening.
Video surveillance shows four teenagers approaching Karchut’s property with one of the four tearing down the Pride Flag that was zip-tied to his front porch.
“You see Blue Jays flags, you see other country’s flags, Canadian flags. None of them have been noticeably missing except ours,” says Karchut, who believes this was a targeted attack on himself and the LGBTQ community.
Karchut adds that he never expected something like this to happen to himself and his partner in London, “To have a flag that symbolizes our very existence, torn down in a month that is supposed to celebrate who we are, just really, really cuts through you.”
Stephen Karchut had his Pride flag stolen from his London, Ont. home on June 20, 2021. (Jaden Lee-Lincoln/CTV London)
Stephen Karchut had his Pride flag stolen from his London, Ont. home on June 20, 2021. (Jaden Lee-Lincoln/CTV London)
London police are aware of the incident and investigating. They are asking anyone with information about the stolen flag to contact them.
Karchut is asking the youth involved in the incident to return the flag.
Meanwhile, Owen Sound police are investigating after the city's rainbow crosswalk was vandalized over the weekend.
Police were notified Sunday morning and city crews immediately removed the markings.
“This senseless act is contrary to the beliefs of an accepting and inclusive community,” said Owen Sound Police Chief Craig Ambrose in a news release. “I encourage anyone with information to come forward to the police so that those responsible can be brought to justice.”
June marks Pride Month as the world's LGBTQ2 population celebrates the freedom to be themselves.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
BREAKING McGill University seeks emergency injunction to remove pro-Palestinian encampment from campus
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.