Queer business failed by police over attacks, owners say
The shop shared an image of the attack on Monday, which showed a GMP car on the street nearby
At a glance
Clonezone Manchester has been attacked three times in six weeks in what its owners called a "targeted hate crime"
They said Greater Manchester Police had "failed" in its response to the attacks
The force said the attacks were thought to be "hate motivated", but it was still investigating so could not confirm that for certain
- Published
The police response to a series of attacks on a "queer business" has been a failure, its owners have said.
Clonezone Manchester said it had been targeted three times in six weeks, with the latest attack seeing its windows smashed by two men on a motorbike on Monday.
Its owners said they were the "victims of a premeditated, targeted hate crime" and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) had "failed us and allowed these attacks to continue".
The force said the attacks were believed to be "hate motivated" but officers were still investigating.
The shop, which stands on Sackville Street in the heart of Manchester's Gay Village, describes itself as a "gay superstore".
In a statement on Twitter, external, its owners said it had been targeted because it was a "queer business" and it believed the attacks were symptomatic of wider issues.
They said the area, which centres around Canal Street, had "always been a safe space and that now sadly is becoming less and less of a reality".
They added that they had been touched by the "outpouring of love and support" which had followed the latest attack.
They also shared an image of the latest attack, which showed a GMP car on the road outside the shop as it happened.
Two people fled on a motorbike in the latest attack
Jeremy Hoad from local group Friends of Manchester's Gay Village said he was shocked by the attacks, the latest of which happened two hours after GMP officers met with community leaders to discuss the incidents.
"It is really disconcerting [and] it's frustrating," he said.
"It worries people, whatever the motivation for the attack, and the police say they can't attribute it to a hate incident.
"It concerns people in the LGBTQ community - it makes us angry that something like this is still happening."
GMP said two people were seen on CCTV on Sackville Street on a "distinctive-looking red motorcycle", before one jumped off to repeatedly smash the shop's windows at about 18:00 BST on Monday.
"After a minute or so, they jumped back on to the motorcycle and left in the direction of London Road," it added.
Ch Insp Adam Wignall said GMP would not "tolerate these kinds of mindless acts of vandalism".
"As such, we are providing ongoing support to the owners of the shop, whilst we thoroughly investigate these incidents," he said.
A force representative added that GMP's theory was that it was "hate motivated at the moment, but we cannot confirm this as we are still investigating".
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