Police say they are looking into a case of assault with evidence of a hate motive
Four Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic School Board (HWCDSB) schools and two private homes on Hamilton Mountain had their Pride flags stolen. The police are looking into what happened.
Police say that all six flags have been stolen in the last six days.
The school board’s communications manager, Marnie Jadon, said that the flags had been stolen.
They occurred at:
- Regina Mundi Elementary School is a Catholic school.
- St. Therese of Lisieux Elementary School is a Catholic school.
- St. Thomas More Elementary School is a Catholic school.
- Bishop Tonnos High School is a Catholic school.
Police said it was an “assault investigation with evidence of a hate motive.” Investigators say they don’t know if the thefts are related or not, and they want anyone with information to contact them.
In a news release, the Hamilton police said that hate crimes are not okay and can hurt communities.
Pride flags are a topic of debate at Catholic school boards in Ontario
Some groups have been trying to stop Catholic school boards from flying rainbow flags in June, which is Pride Month.
After months of debate between supporters and opponents, the York Catholic District School Board in Vaughan, Ont., decided not to fly the flag this year at the end of May. Some arguments got so heated that police had to be called to three different meetings of the school board.
In the same week, a video came out of Natalia Benoit, a trustee for the Niagara Catholic District School Board (NCDSB), comparing the Pride flag to a Nazi flag. Since then, Benoit has denied the comparison, saying that arguments about whether or not to fly the Pride flag hurt “deeply religious children, too.” She didn’t say in more detail how they were being hurt.
In the meantime, other Catholic schools in Ontario have taken the Pride flag and its message to heart.
The Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), which runs St. Denis Catholic School, put up a Pride flag to show how important it is to include and accept everyone.
The school also showed off a permanent piece of art that is a Pride flag. Principal Anthony Pauk told CBC News, “This is a chance for us to show how Catholicism and love go hand in hand.”
A Hamilton priest says the flag is a message of support, care, and inclusion
Earlier in June, the HWCSB in Hamilton celebrated Pride Month by saying that the board is “committed to listening, prayer, and right action.”
It said that its schools and board buildings are places that are “welcoming, inclusive, and safe.” “Each one belongs here.”
A priest at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in downtown Hamilton, Father Jarek Pachocki, told CBC Hamilton that he often works with HWCDSB.
He used social media at the end of May to show his support for HWCSB flying the Pride flag.
Pachoki said that as a member of a religious order, it is his job to “walk with people on the margins of society,” which includes helping LGBTQ students. He said that when the Pride flag is flown, it shows that the school board cares about and supports everyone.
“It has nothing to do with politics or anything like that. It says, “We see you, we love you, and we care about you. he said.
“LGBTQ people have always spoken for themselves, and you can see that in so many ways. But I think allies, people who support them, do need to speak up.”