The homophobic graffiti pointed towards the LGBT+ venue. (Twitter/ Pantibliss)
The legendary Dublin gay bar Pantibar was targeted by homophobic vandals in a “premeditated” attack on Sunday night (13 June).
Iconic Irish drag queen Panti Bliss, who owns Pantibar in Dublin’s city centre, shared a photo of the homophobic graffiti on Twitter.
She explained that the words “pedo bar” were scrawled onto a building two doors down, with an arrow pointing towards Pantibar.
This was painted on the building two doors up from Pantibar during the night pic.twitter.com/HoBo9glOuP
— Dr Panti Bliss-Cabrera (@PantiBliss) June 14, 2021
The local LGBT+ community were horrified, with one responding: This both angers and saddens me.
“Imagine being a young queer, barely out of the close, and faced with such blatant hatred on the streets.”
Writer and activist Scott De Buitléir added: “That photo by Pantibar, with *that* word, still used against gay men, is the exact reason Pride is still needed when ignorant or apathetic people questions its necessity in relatively liberal places like Ireland.
“For some to still think we’re sinister or corrupt is so upsetting.”
That photo by Pantibar, with *that* word, still used against gay men, is the exact reason Pride is still needed when ignorant or apathetic people questions its necessity in relatively liberal places like Ireland. For some to still think we’re sinister or corrupt is so upsetting.
— Scott De Buitléir (@scottdebuitleir) June 14, 2021
Luckily, as soon as Dublin Town Clean Team heard about the homophobic graffiti, workers immediately painted over it.
The building that was vandalised houses offices for the online marketplace Etsy, and employees responded to the hateful words by flying Pride flags from the windows.
The #DublinTown clean team attended that straight away and it has now been removed. pic.twitter.com/BpprHcfidF
— DublinTown (@DublinTown) June 14, 2021
The graffiti I posted earlier was painted on our neighbor @Etsy‘s building.
Here’s the before and after. Thank you Etsy! X ❤🌈✊️ pic.twitter.com/hosf8nXWkZ— Dr Panti Bliss-Cabrera (@PantiBliss) June 14, 2021
Later, having viewed the CCTV of the incident, Panti Bliss told her Twitter followers that the incident was far from a random prank.
She wrote: “There is CCTV of the graffiti incident last night and it was very clearly planned and premeditated, rather than a spur of the moment thing.”
According to the Irish Examiner, Gardaí have received a report of criminal damage and are investigating, but no arrests have been made.
Almost exactly three years ago, during Pride month 2018, Pantibar was targeted in another homophobic attack.
A rock was thrown through the window carrying a message in Gaeilge, which, translated into English, read: “FAIREIES/ FAGS OUT OF IRELAND.”
Luckily, a teenager was arrested quickly after the incident.