Victoria Police have released images of individuals believed to be “persons of interest” following homophobic graffiti spray painted on Melbourne gay bar, The Laird.
The pub, which was officially heritage listed in May, was one of two LGBTQIA+ venues vandalised with homophobic graffiti earlier this month, alongside neighbouring retail store Eagle Leather.
Police said they are are investigating the circumstances surrounding the offensive graffiti, which was removed by the City of Yarra before the pub opened that afternoon.
“It is believed the male offenders attended a commercial premises along Gipps St, and a retail outlet along Hoddle St in the early hours of Sunday 6 July, marking offensive graffiti depicting ‘Ned Kelly’ and the ‘Sonnenrad’ logo,” a Victoria Police spokesperson told Star Observer.
The “Sonnenrad” logo, also known as the “black sun“, is an ancient Nordic symbol that was appropriated by the Nazi party in the 1940s, and is used by neo-Nazis today as a symbol of white supremacy.
Police believe both incidents are related.
Victorian Commissioner for LGBTQIA+ Communities Joe Ball condemned the incident at the time, saying the graffiti represented a new wave of attacks on LGBTQIA+ spaces.
“Places meant to be safe havens are being defaced,” he said. “This culture of hate is growing, and we need to stop it at the roots.
“It is all connected: violence, abuse, hate speech. We must stand up for drag storytime, for safe schools and for respectful relationships programmes. These shape how the next generation treats us.
“The same hate appears in fires lit at synagogues, violence against women and anti-migrant rallies.”
Crimes condemned as “abhorrent and unacceptable”
The graffiti comes shortly after Victoria Police announced they had arrested 35 people over a period of eight months following a wave of violent robberies and assaults allegedly targeting men through gay dating apps.
Victoria’s Equality Minister, Vicki Ward, posted about the rise of homophobic hate crimes in the state over the weekend, following coverage in The Age.
“Any violence targeting LGBTIQA+ communities is abhorrent and unacceptable,” she told the masthead.
“We’ve passed stronger anti-vilification laws, including specifically protecting the LGBTIQA+ community.
“We’ve banned the public display of the Nazi symbol and introduced new ‘post and boast’ laws to criminalise violent, hate-driven crimes being glorified online.”
Commissioner Ball said that combatting the homophobic incidents required a “multi-pronged government response”.
“We know already there are far more instances where gay men have been bashed than have been reported, and that’s because people are quite afraid [to report to police],” Ball said.
Victoria Police urge anyone with information these hate crimes to contact Collingwood Police Station on (03) 8413 1700, Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or submit a confidential report at Crime Stoppers Victoria.