Councillor Agatha Akyigyina OBE, Cabinet Member for Partnerships, Public Safety and Tackling Crime, said: “Here in Merton, we are proud to be raising the rainbow flag for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).

“Our LGBTQ+ residents are a valued part of our vibrant and diverse community, and we stand with them against the prejudice and hate that they still unfortunately face. No one should be ashamed of who they are or who they love, and we want to ensure that through cohesion and integration our community continues to thrive.

“The theme for this year’s IDAHOBIT is ‘Together: Resisting, Supporting, Healing’, and in that spirit, we urge anyone who experiences a hate crime to come forward and report to police or the other support services available in our borough – not only so they can get advice and support they need, but also so we can take action to try and prevent these instances from happening again.

“Anyone who suffers a hate crime can find out how to report it at: merton.gov.uk/HateCrime”