Pride flag 'cut down' from Ludgershall war memorial garden
The Town Council say they were trying show they were 'progressive'
A Pride flag's been taken down and stolen from Ludgershall's war memorial garden, just days after it was raised to mark the start of Pride Month.
The Town Council (LTC) said they'd put it up - on a flag pole they'd purchased to be a 'good visual place' for the community.
But social media comments branded the Council 'disrespectful' for displaying the flag next to the war memorial, so close to the D-Day 80th anniversary commemorations.
The flag was cut down on Monday night (3rd June), with the Town Council claiming a man and woman were involved.
They've reported the incident to Wiltshire Police, describing it as a hate crime, and passed on CCTV to officers.
In a social media post, Ludgershall Town Council said:
"LTC really wanted to show they were a progressive council in a progressive town but it seems we have a way to go."
In a separate post, they also explained what they intended the flag pole to be used for:
"When LTC bought the new pole they wanted it positioned more central for the town and the war memorial garden was chosen as a good visual place not because of the war memorial.
"LTC then decided to get each saints days flag so we could show respect for all the UK nations these have been going up for each one. LTC are trying to be a diverse and more progressive council and therefore along with many other councils around the UK, agreed to fly the progressive pride flag the meaning of this flag is:
"While retaining the common six-stripe rainbow design as a base, the "Progress" variation adds a chevron along the side that features black, brown, light blue, pink, and white stripes to bring those communities (marginalised people of colour, trans people, and those living with HIV/AIDS and those who have been lost) to the forefront; 'the arrow points to the right to show forward movement, while being along the left edge shows that progress still needs to be made.'
D-Day commemorations could be affected
Among the complaints about the Pride flag in Ludgershall was that the 80th anniversary of D-Day wasn't being properly commemorated.
The Town Council say they had a flag ready to be displayed from tomorrow (Thursday 6th June) to mark the day itself, and would have been flown for a week.
They've now said that might not be possible, due to the damage to the flag pole needing repairs, and the cost that entails.
The minimum cost of repairs is expected to be £320.
A beacon will also be lit in Ludgershall for the anniversary, with a 'Party in the Park' event on the Rec on Saturday (8th June).