Yahoo News Gay MP offers to sit down with vandal who spray-painted 'pedo' on his office
A gay MP has offered to “sit down and talk” to a vandal who spray-painted “pedo” on the window of his constituency office.
Luke Pollard, the Labour MP for The Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport, posted a picture of the slur on social media commenting that the graffiti was the second incident in under two weeks.
Mr Pollard, who says he has received abuse in the past for being an openly gay politician, has since offered to talk to the person responsible for painting “Pollard is a pedo, report that” on his offices.
In a statement, Mr Pollard said: “There is no place for hate and abuse in Plymouth. When my office was vandalised last week we saw the most incredible and positive reaction from people in Plymouth.
“Lots of people dropped into the office and asked about me and my team’s safety and welfare. This latest attack and the common slur against gay people it includes does not speak for the people of Plymouth.
“My offer to sit down and talk with the individuals who vandalised my office still stands but they need to be aware that hate and abuse will not silence me in standing up for our city and its people.
READ MORE FROM YAHOO NEWS UK:
No 10 to explore other routes towards election after Lib Dem proposal
Environmental ‘cheat devices’ fitted to thousands of ships could render UK ports unusable
Sajid Javid's budget delay only adds to the turmoil over Brexit
“The persons who did this are clearly very angry about something. The brave thing to do now is have that conversation with me.”
Mr Pollard said the incident has been reported to the police.
In a video posted on Twitter, Mr Pollard added: “To the individual who spray-painted graffiti on the front of my office I want to say to them, assuming they’re the same person that did it last week, sit down and let’s have a conversation.
There is no place for hate and abuse in our city, our politics or our country. That means we must all do our part to call it out but we must also seek to build bridges and not walls. That’s why I want to sit down with the person who vandalised my office to talk. #plymouth pic.twitter.com/gHCAVXHPYj
— Luke Pollard MP (@LukePollard) October 27, 2019
“The way we get through this mess as a country is by building bridges, not building walls. So I want you to know the offer is sincere. Let’s sit down and talk about your concerns.
“If you’re angry enough to vandalise an office, let’s see if you’re brave enough to sit down and have a conversation.”
In a series of tweets, Mr Pollard thanked the police, the city council and his office staff for their support.
Shadow women and equalities minister Dawn Butler tweeted her support for Mr Pollard, saying: “In solidarity Luke.”
Angela Eagle also tweeted: “Disgusting - So sorry you’re having to put up with this.”
