Police in New York are looking for a trio of suspects who they believe responsible for destroying pride flags outside the Stonewall Inn, the birthplace of the LGBTQ rights movement in the United States.

Video and photos released by the New York Police Department (NYPD) show three men police say vandalized the flags outside Christopher Park and the Stonewall Inn.

The three men were caught on security cameras damaging the flags around 3.10am on Saturday morning.

Additional footage taken by a neighbor’s camera and obtained by the New York Post shows the trio snatching the flags one-by-one and snapping them in half.

New York City Councilmember Erik Bottcher, a member of the LGBTQ community who represents Greenwich Village, posted photos of the flags broken and discarded on the ground.

Pride Month 2023

Pride Month is here, with members of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies celebrating their identities, accomplishments, and reflecting on the struggle for equality throughout June.

This year, Metro.co.uk is exploring the theme of family, and what it means to the LGBTQ+ community.

Find our daily highlights below, and for our latest LGBTQ+coverage, visit our dedicated Pride page.

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‘If anyone thinks this is going to intimidate us or weaken our resolve, they’re mistaken,’ Bottcher said on Twitter.

The vandalism was discovered by Steven Love-Menendez, who volunteers his time to replace individual flags when they are damaged.

‘I come almost daily to replace any missing flags on the fence, and then I witnessed the act of vandalism,’ Love-Menendez told NBC New York. ‘This is the heart and soul of the LGBTQIA movement.’

The flags surround Christopher Park, which was dedicated as the Stonewall National Monument in 2016 by President Obama.

The monument commemorates the 1969 Stonewall riots, often seen as the event that sparked the gay rights movement in the United States.

The riot took place across the street at the Stonewall Inn, where a violent police raid led thousands of protesters to take to the streets demanding equal rights regardless of their sexual orientation.

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