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The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
It's time every police force atoned for its homophobic witch-hunts
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'. His words were not mere rhetoric. Homophobia informed operational policing. GMP officers were directed to illegally harass gay venues, including the notorious raid by 23 police on Napoleon's bar in 1984. The membership list, including names and addresses, was illegally seized, and patrons were lined up against the wall and unlawfully photographed. Some had their feet deliberately stamped on. 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.' However, in response to my Peter Tatchell Foundation's #ApologiseNow campaign, 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, 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. Their refusal is even more shocking given that GMP and WMP were historically two of the most viciously homophobic forces in the country, with gay arrest rates much higher than average. WMP compounded their insult by their double standards. They rightly apologised in 2020 to the black community for their long history of police racism, but they refuse to do the same to the LGBT+ community. On top of that, WMP had me forcibly removed from the recent Birmingham Pride parade after I criticised their refusal to apologise. They falsely claimed I did not have permission to be there and that the organisers asked for me to be removed. The latter has confirmed that both these claims were fabrications. The GMP and WMP Chief Constables have snubbed their own National Police Chiefs Council lead on LGBT+ issues. Northumbria Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine wrote to all Chief Constables over a year ago, urging them to review our request for an apology for historic anti-LGBT+ persecution. She had a good reason. In the decades before the full decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales in 2003, police across the UK went out of their way to target and arrest thousands of gay and bisexual men for consenting, victimless behaviour. They went far beyond merely enforcing anti-gay laws and did so in a manner that was often illegal and sometimes violent. Couples were arrested for kissing, which was not a crime. Officers burst into private birthday parties whose partygoers were shoved and called ' f***ing queers' and 'dirty poofs'. At closing time for bars and clubs, police would harass men chatting on the pavement outside. Those who hesitated to disperse or questioned the lawfulness of police harassment were threatened and sometimes arrested and beaten up. It's little wonder that the police were reviled by many as 'queer-bashers in uniform'. In a raid on a bar in 1971, I was made to strip to my underpants in the street on a freezing cold October night. An officer squeezed my testicles until I screamed. I remember being stopped at a train station and quizzed and sneered at because I was wearing a gay badge. This was typical of the everyday petty police harassment that we endured. Police waged witch-hunts motivated by personal, and sometimes religious, prejudice against gay and bisexual men. They selected young, good-looking officers and got them to dress in a gay style, with tight-fitting jeans and leather jackets. These so-called 'pretty police' were deployed as agent provocateurs in parks and public toilets to entrap men into committing offences before a hidden squad swooped in and made arrests. 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. Twenty-four of the UK's Chief Constables have turned down my request for an apology. As well as disputing the existence of this persecution, some have claimed that these abuses happened a long time ago and that an apology would be a pointless gesture. The victims think otherwise. A formal apology would demonstrate moral leadership, humility and humanity. It would send a powerful message to those who endured oppression at the hands of the police, showing that their suffering has been heard, and that the police of today reject the abuses of the past. Apologies are not symbolic gestures. They are acts of justice. They affirm change and that the police now stand alongside the communities they once harmed. For many LGBT+ people, hearing their Chief Constable acknowledge historic mistreatment would be profoundly healing. The apologies issued so far by 21 forces have not undermined current officers but have strengthened community trust. They have helped to rebuild bridges with marginalised people, showing that policing today is informed by compassion, accountability and truth. This has boosted confidence in the police and encouraged more LGBT+ people to report hate crimes, domestic violence and sexual assaults. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, head of the Met Police, had no hesitation in saying sorry. He acknowledged that the Met had harboured 'systems and processes…which have led to bias and discrimination…over many decades' and apologised unreservedly to those 'we have let down.' Rowley showed true leadership and won huge respect among LGBT+ people.
The Independent
13-06-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Police chief says homophobia apology could ‘unfairly impugn' past officers
Greater Manchester Police 's Chief Constable, Stephen Watson, has declined to apologise to the LGBT+ community for historical homophobia within the force, a move criticised by campaigners as an "insult". Human rights charity the Peter Tatchell Foundation requested all forces apologise for decades of LGBT+ victimisation. Twenty-one other forces have issued formal apologies. Mr Watson stated that a sweeping apology could be seen as "superficial" and "unfairly impugn" past officers, while acknowledging GMP did not always meet expected standards. Peter Tatchell highlighted the force's troubling history under then-Chief Constable James Anderton in the 1980s, during the Aids crisis, when officers targeted gay venues. Mr Tatchell argues that an apology is an act of justice and healing which could foster trust and encourage LGBT+ people to report crimes.
Metro
29-05-2025
- Metro
Peter Tatchell 'laughed at by police before being removed' from Birmingham Pride
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A veteran LGBTQ+ rights campaigner has claimed he was 'forcibly removed' from Birmingham Pride after police 'laughed' at him. Peter Tatchell, 73, said an officer ordered him to leave the Pride parade, claiming event organisers had requested his removal. Pride organisers have denied this, stressing to Metro that they permitted Tatchell to march. Tatchell gave a speech at the start of the parade in the West Midlands city on Saturday morning where he spoke about the arrests of gay and bisexual men before homosexuality was decriminalised in 2004. He was using a loudhailer and holding a sign reading: 'West Midlands police refuse to apologise for anti-LGBT+ witch-hunts. SHAME! #ApologiseNow' during the march. About an hour later, he set off on the march. The campaigner said he and five others from the Peter Tatchell Foundation were walking down New Street when they saw several police officers approach them. The activist said a senior officer told him to leave, saying he did not have a permit. He added he was then 'frog marched' out of the parade. With thousands of members from all over the world, our vibrant LGBTQ+ WhatsApp channel is a hub for all the latest news and important issues that face the LGBTQ+ community. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications! Speaking to Metro, Tatchell said: 'The police response was to crowd around me, blowing whistles, so my message could not be heard. 'What was particularly upsetting was when I told the story of how two men attempted suicide because of police prosecution. The officers laughed in my face.' Tatchell said: 'I showed him my wristband and said, 'Here's proof I have permission, plus, I am a guest, so they would never instruct me to leave'. 'I asked the officer what the name of the Pride organiser who instructed you to remove me was. No answer.' Photographs and video taken at the parade show officers leading Tatchell out of the parade, holding him by the arms and forcing him forward. He was not arrested. Tatchell said: 'The officers dumped me on the pavement. I got the very strong impression that, if I had further resisted, I would have been arrested. 'It's sadly typical of the way in which the police across Britain are increasingly clamping down on freedom of expression and the right to protest. 'I'm just astonished that the police would dare abuse their power to fabricate allegations and to stop me making a lawful criticism.' Birmingham Pride CEO Lawrence Barton said 'categorically' that organisers allowed Tatchell to march. Barton told Metro: 'Peter was an invited guest speaker to Pride, he was asked by me to speak at the Big Free Community event and at Centenary Square to officially launch Pride. 'His foundation was officially booked through our official process. Peter's call for an apology from [West Midlands Police] is a position I support.' Before being gay was fully decriminalised, UK police forces routinely raided nightclubs, bars and saunas, particularly in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. Officers held stakeouts in parks and public toilets to arrest queer people for 'gross indecency', while some were convicted for public displays of affection under public order and breach of the peace laws. West Midlands Police has not formally apologised for the decades-old arrests, unlike other forces such as the Met Police. Chief Constable Craig Guildford declined to do so in 2023 when asked by Tatchell, saying the police were responsible for enforcing laws which would be viewed 'very differently today'. Tatchell said: 'There were probably 50 officers marching in the parade. Not a single one at any point expressed sorrow or regret about the way in which the LGBTQ+ community had been ill-treated in the past.' Marching alongside Tatchell was Matthew Lloyd, a member of the inclusive faith group Queer Church Birmingham. The former national co-chair of LGBT+ Labour told Metro that calling on the West Midlands Police to apologise is a 'long-standing demand in our community'. He said: 'It's disgraceful that officers forcibly removed Peter from the parade – especially under the false claim that Pride organisers had asked for it. 'This heavy-handed policing reflects a deeper problem: a lack of understanding of Pride as a protest and a deafness to the police's own history when dealing with the queer community, our venues and our safe spaces.' More Trending The force told Metro: 'We assisted security staff at the event with the removal of a man who made his way amongst people who were taking part in the parade. He was not arrested.' Asked about allegations that officers 'laughed' at Tatchell, the police said: 'West Midlands Police have not received a complaint about this but we are open to listen to any which are formally made to us.' Ahead of the parade, the police said that officers will be 'out and about keeping you safe at Birmingham Pride'. Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby said: 'Our officers are there to support you, so please do speak to them if you have any concerns about safety – or feel free to just say hello.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Pillion review – I experienced one of the filthiest films I've ever seen at Cannes MORE: Plans to ban Pride events in Hungary criticised by 17 other countries MORE: 'Humanising trans people is so important right now – our BBC series does that'
Telegraph
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
It shouldn't take Peter Tatchell to tell us our asylum system is broken
Asylum seekers are gaming the system. They're pretending to be gay to stay in Britain. These bogus homosexuals are exploiting our kindness – or our weakness, some might say – to get a foot in the door of our nation. Who's been making this claim? An old-style Tory, perhaps, the sort who has sleepless nights fretting over our porous borders? Actually it's Peter Tatchell, the famed agitator for gay rights. Yes, one of Britain's best-known Left-wing rabble-rousers, a man who loves nothing better than a noisy protest, is raising the alarm about phoney asylum-seeking. When even a Leftie like Tatchell worries out loud that people are lying their way into the country, it's time to pay attention. In an interview this week Tatchell warned that some foreigners are play-acting as gay to win the sympathy of woke Britain. These fauxmosexuals – if you will – are applying for membership of organisations like the Peter Tatchell Foundation in order to pass as gay. Tatchell clocked a spike in 'small donations' from Pakistani men. Some give as little as £3 and then speedily request membership cards or letters to support their asylum applications. It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to see what's happening here – these men are seeking 'proof of homosexuality' to swindle the Home Office and make it believe they'll be strung up if they're sent home. Tatchell says his foundation sometimes receives as many as 30 small donations a day. They're literally playing 'the gay card.' These fake gays crave a piece of paper with their name alongside Peter Tatchell's in the hope that a Home Office bureaucrat will stamp 'APPROVED' on their applications. One wonders how many foreigners are cosplaying as oppressed to win asylum here. We already know about the scourge of fake conversions to Christianity. Last year a whistleblowing priest said there is a 'veritable industry of asylum baptisms' in the CofE. There's a 'conveyor belt' of such sacrilegious stunts, he said, with asylum-seekers pining that splash of baptismal water that might convince the Home Office they were repressed back home. And too often, he said, the Church is complicit in the pantomime Christianity of these cynical asylum-seekers. Tatchell has proved himself a braver voice than many of the nation's bishops by calling out the 'fake conversions' to homosexuality that are also taking place. Asylum seekers who pretend to be gay or Christian are being deeply dishonest. Falsehoods are not a good foundation on which to build your residency here, far less your future citizenship. But the real problem is the system itself. It's too soft, too gullible. There will always be asylum seekers playing tricks – what we need to ask is why the Home Office is so trickable. There have been some mad cases lately. Like the Albanian criminal whose deportation was halted because his kid is a picky eater. Or the Nigerian rapist who's still here because European judges ruled that he has the right to 'family life' in the UK. If some foreigners think Blighty is a soft touch, easily hoodwinked, can we blame them? The horrible irony is that some of the fake gays will likely be homophobic. Coming from Muslim countries, they may well feel hostile towards gay people. If the Home Office is letting in homophobes wearing the mask of homosexuality, that is unforgivable. There are genuinely oppressed people who could do with Britain's help. Real gay people in countries like Pakistan. Women who hate the hijab in Iran. Christians suffering harassment under the Taliban. These good people lose out when we let phonies bring the system into disrepute.
