A pride flag was removed from a flagpole and set on fire outside a Tempe, Arizona, City Hall building on Tuesday, city officials confirmed to NBC News.
The flag, which was raised in commemoration of Pride month, was flying on a pole along with the American flag, the Arizona state flag, and a flag commemorating Juneteenth. Officials have since raised a new flag outside City Hall.
"This act of aggression does not represent our community. Hate has no place in Tempe," City Manager Andrew Ching said in a statement, according to NBC. "We are committed to championing diversity, inclusion, and equity and ensuring that our community is safe and welcoming for everyone."
Tempe Mayor Corey Woods added: "Cities are great because of the people who live in them. We will not stand by while someone tries to threaten, bully, and intimidate members of our community. We will continue our efforts to make our city stronger, even more welcoming, and even more inclusive. We support our LGBTQ+ community. We stand as one with them."
A spokesperson for Phoenix Pride told the Arizona Republic that the group was appalled and disheartened by the incident.
"The fact that this occurred in the city of Tempe is incredibly disheartening and alarming. Tempe as a city has been an incredible ally to the LGBTQ+ community," Jeremy Helfgot said.
The incident comes a few months after an LGBTQ-owned coffee shop in the city was subject to a bomb threat during a Drag Story Hour event.
"That was an unfortunate instance of hate," Gabe Hagen, the co-owner of the shop, told a local NBC affiliate at the time. "It's just misguided, unfortunately; and that's disappointing to see."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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