Man Who Threw Pride Flag in Eatery Given 24-Month Conditional Warning

Did you know that flags originated on battlefields as a means of identification and hierarchy?

Over time, however, they have become sacred symbols of countries, organisations, and communities.

One such flag is the pride or rainbow flag, which is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and queer pride, as well as LGBT social movements.

One man who saw this flag displayed at a food stall’s counter was not too pleased to see it, however.

So, he had two choices:

1. Keep his opinions to himself
2. Anything but throw the flag at the staff

So, naturally, he threw the flag at the staff.

But as your teachers used to say after you corrected them in class, actions have consequences.

Man Who Threw Pride Flag in Eatery Given 24-Month Conditional Warning

For this man, the consequence was nothing more than a hard slap on the wrist.

Speaking in parliament yesterday (6 July), Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam confirmed that the man has been given a 24-month conditional warning.

Mr Shanmugam explained that the police did not recommend prosecution for the 47-year-old man because he did not cause any injuries and the incident was “not protracted”.

The man also had a history of mental disorder, which may partly explain his actions, Mr Shanmugam added.

According to the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the two-year conditional warning was handed out for the offence of intentionally causing harassment, alarm, or distress.

Mr Shanmugam added that the Government’s position is “clear” in that it does not condone any harassment and abuse of any person “for any reason”.

“The law protects LGBTQ individuals the same as everyone else,” he said.

What Happened

In Jan this year, CCTV footage of the incident went viral after the stall owner took to Facebook to recount her unpleasant experience.

In the video, the man can be seen walking past SMOL, a health food stall, when he notices an LGBTQ pride flag displayed on their counter.

The man asks the stall’s founder why the flag was up and she explains that it was to show support for the LGBTQ community.

Upset, he initially walks away to show his disapproval before returning to the stall to berate the staff.

“Do you know that this is a public food court? Not everybody supports LGBT. How can you put this flag?” he allegedly said.

He then rips the flag from its post and throws it at one of the stall’s employees.

Both workers at the store were left stunned by the man’s act.

As he walked away, the man shouted that the stall’s workers are the ones “destroying Singapore”, and asked them to “go to hell”.

Fortunately, the store received an outpouring of support and said it will keep the pride flag up despite the incident.

Featured Image: Facebook (SMOL Singapore)