A tree at Marrickville Golf course that had been decorated with the colours of the Pride Progress flag is the latest vandalism attack on Pride symbols during Sydney’s World Pride celebrations.
Local Justion Bradley painted the tree with his father who is a board member of the club. The painting of the tree is an annual tradition at the club.
“This morning my dad sent me a picture of the rainbow pride tree that he and I painted that’s been vandalised,” he said, posting photos of the ugly vandalism on Instagram.
“I felt sick to my stomach. This was clearly a vile act of vandalism perpetrated by some fool in the community whose only intention is to be aggressive, choose violence and to intimidate essentially.
“I’d never felt like this before in my own community. I didn’t think it was something that would happen in the inner west.” Bradley said.
Members of the local community banded together and on Friday the tree was repainted.
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The vandalism of the tree in Marrickville follows a street art installation in nearby Newtown being destroyed by a vandal wielding white paint.
The artwork was created by local artist Scott Marsh who had also been commissioned to paint a controversial mural in Sydney’s city centre. Marsh’s wall mural that showed a hair man wearing a bear head reclining on the Pride flag was also destroyed.
Another vandalism attack saw the front stairs of The Uniting Church which had been painted in the colours of the Pride flag being doused in paint.
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