Four teens arrested in connection to Pride flag taken from school and burned: Police
Eastwood Collegiate Institute on Aug. 25, 2021 (Terry Kelly / CTV Kitchener)
Waterloo regional police have arrested four teenagers after they say a Pride flag was taken from a Kitchener high school, trampled on, and burned.
According to police, a group of teens between the ages of 15 and 17 took a Pride flag from Eastwood Collegiate Institute around 2:20 p.m. on Sept. 21.
Police say they stepped on it and set it on fire.
In an email sent to parents immediately following the incident, the school's principal identified the teens as students and said after trampling and burning the flag, they threw it at a group of 2SLGBTQIA+ students.
“This same group of students then threw rocks at the 2SLGBTQIA+ students as they boarded their bus,” the principal said.
Police said no one was injured and that they were investigating the hate-motivated incident.
In a release sent out Monday, Oct. 2, police confirmed that four male youths have been arrested and charged in connection to the incident.
Charges included mischief motivated by hate, public incitement of hatred, and theft under $5,000.
WIth previous reporting from CTV Kitchener's Alison Sandstrom.
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