LGBTQ+ community 'shocked and saddened' after hate crime hits Inverness café once again

LGBTQ+ community groups have responded to the latest episode of hate crime which owners of the popular Xoko café in Inverness faced last week.

The owners then shared a statement calling out what they said was an "inadequate" response by police after they repeatedly had the Progress Pride flag outside the shop ripped off as well as people spitting on the shop windows.

Highland Pride's secretary Roz White said the matter needs to be "dealt with severely" or it could spread further across the city.

Roz said: "The experience of Xoko alone suggests that the response from authorities has been far from adequate – this is not the first time they have been targeted and as far as I am aware nothing​ has been done to investigate who is responsible for these attacks – because that is what they are, attacks.

"If these perpetrators feel safe in attacking one business, what's to stop them (or others of a like mind) going after any other businesses they suddenly decide they don't like or don't want in the town? It's completely unacceptable that this has not been investigated further, that preventative measures have not been installed by the authorities for this is not merely Xoko's problem.

"Tourists will not come if they do not feel safe or welcome; Highland Pride itself, as an event, has proved every year we have held it that it is also capable of bringing hundreds, if not thousands, of extra people into Inverness – and they all spend money in places where they are welcomed. Trying to take away those LGBT+ friendly places will not put them into other, less-friendly venues; they will simply not come, and then we all suffer eventually.

"It is hard to see how the situation could be considered to be improving when attacks on businesses – even if it is currently only one business – are continuing and nobody has been brought to account for them. The police, overstretched in the region, might consider that sporadic assaults on a single premises assumes a low priority. I consider otherwise. Would they have been so lax had the target been, say, Primark, Gellions, or any other business in the city centre? Until we have people in the dock and thus get an idea of why Xoko is being repeatedly attacked, none of our shops, pubs or cafés can really sleep easily, since who is to say they won't be next?"

A spokesperson for local queer meet-up group, Kiki Family, said: “We are saddened to hear of the reoccurring hate crimes occurring at Xoko. Inverness is a small city and has a small but growing LGBTQ+ community.

"Inverness is changing and is becoming a more diverse place to live which is a real asset for a small city that prides itself on diversity, inclusivity and tolerance.

"However we hope that hate crimes of any kind will not be a part of that tolerance and that community and government leaders as well Police Scotland will do all they can to take meaningful action to keep the staff at Xoko and the wider LGBTQ+ community safe from such mindless and pointless hate.”

Earlier this year, Xoko won the Enterprise of the Year award organised by Somewhere, a Grantown-based LGBTQ+ social enterprise.

Commenting on Xoko's statement. Kathryn Pierce and Thomas Anderson-Thatcher from Somewhere said: "We are shocked and saddened to hear that that Tristan, Fernando and the team are experiencing hate incidents at the bakehouse and it is vital they receive the right support from the authorities to deal with this ongoing intimidation.

"It’s no surprise that Xoko has been voted the winner of our Enterprise of the Year award – one of our community-led Unicorn awards – for all the work they continue to do to create their safe space and to be a proud LGBTQ+ business in a remote area of Scotland.

"Visible safe spaces for LGBTQ+ people in the Highlands are few and far between and so it is especially important that places such as Xoko exist and are protected, where LGBTQ+ people and their families and friends know they can be themselves without fear or intimidation.

"With hate crime levels on the rise, and an emboldened right-wing media stoking division, unfortunately it is a reflection of the times that these incidents continue to happen. It is our wish that the police will always seek to provide the most vulnerable communities with prompt and robust support. We hope that this will be the case for Xoko from now on."

Replying to Xoko's statement, Police Scotland chief Inspector Judy Hill said: “Targeting anyone because of who they are is deplorable. Hate crime should have no place in society and will not be tolerated.

“Everyone has a right to live safely as their true and authentic selves, without fear of prejudice.

“I would encourage people to report incidents directly to us via 101, by completing a Hate Crime Reporting Form or via a Third Party Reporting Centre.

“Every complaint is professionally and thoroughly investigated and we treat people who bravely come forward with sensitivity, respect and dignity. We also offer further support to victims of crime through referrals to a number of partners.”

More information on how to report incidents is available at: https://www.scotland.police.uk/contact-us/reporting-hate-crime/