Invoking Hitler at Pride? Nuneaton Just Showed Us What Not to Do

Nuneaton Pride has found itself in the middle of a backlash, and it is entirely their own doing.

It started when a member of the LGBTQ+ community questioned why they had chosen to involve a local Labour Party figure in this year’s event. It was a fair question. Many Pride events across the UK have now cut ties with political parties because of their continued failure to support trans people and speak out against rising anti-LGBTQ+ hate. Labour has repeatedly dodged the issue and refused to take a strong public stance in defence of trans rights.

Rather than respond with care or even basic professionalism, Nuneaton Pride responded with this:

“The evidence I have is that she has sat on the LGBT group and stood up for and advocated on trans and NB rights… but either way… even if she was Adolf Hitler… we would still want to talk to her… we would still want to have difficult conversations… we would still want to influence her because she is the person in power… As a person at Pride she will be forced to have those conversations with us and forced to hear our voices… sometimes what looks like on the surface as totally the wrong thing can be exactly the best thing…”

That statement is jaw-dropping. They seriously tried to make the case that even if someone were Hitler, they would still be worth engaging with. It is absurd and offensive. Pride is not a political networking event. It is not about flattering those in power. It is supposed to be about resistance, visibility, and protecting the most marginalised in our community.

LGBTQ+ people were targeted, imprisoned, and murdered under Nazi rule. The fact that Nuneaton Pride used that historical trauma as a throwaway metaphor to justify giving a platform to a politician is a disgrace.

And when people reacted with anger and disbelief, the organisers did not apologise. They doubled down.

They released a so-called statement, describing the backlash as “allegations,” as if their own words had not already been screenshotted and widely shared. They claimed:

“We apologise unreservedly for the offense these allegations have caused… Nuneaton Pride would never provide a platform to those who support fascism, antisemitism, or any form of bigotry or hatred.”

That is not an apology. That is spin. The words were theirs. No one made them up. No one twisted the truth. The organisers said something awful, and instead of owning it, they tried to discredit the people calling them out. Warwickshire Pride, a respected and long-standing Pride organisation, publicly distanced themselves from Nuneaton’s response, and rightly so.

See their statement here:- Statement on actions of Nuneaton Pride | Warwickshire Pride

To make matters worse, Nuneaton Pride began removing comments and blocking LGBTQ+ people who spoke out. Instead of listening and reflecting, they silenced the very voices they claim to represent. Accountability was met with censorship, and criticism was treated like an attack.

Earlier on in the day, instead of engaging with the community in good faith, Nuneaton Pride published a self-pitying post calling the backlash “extremely malicious accusations” aimed at “bringing us down at all costs.” They ignored all accountability and painted themselves as victims. This was not leadership. It was deflection.

Let us be clear. This is not about “cancel culture.” This is about responsibility. If you run a Pride event, your first job is to protect your community, not to curry favour with politicians. Especially not ones who have done little or nothing to show up for trans people at a time when they are being openly attacked in politics and the press.

Nuneaton Pride had an opportunity to lead with care. They could have responded with humility. They could have said they got it wrong. Instead, they chose arrogance. They chose to gaslight their own community. They chose to act like victims when all anyone did was hold them accountable.

You cannot claim to stand in solidarity with the victims of Nazism while using Hitler as a lazy metaphor. You cannot claim to support trans people while ignoring their concerns and then blaming them for being upset.

Their words were harmful. Their response was shameful. And their blind spot is showing.

Do not be like Nuneaton Pride. Know when to listen. Know when to stop talking. And most importantly, know who Pride is actually for.

Amendment:

Following public scrutiny, Nuneaton Pride claimed on social media that “the screenshots have been found to be false and maliciously created.” This is categorically untrue. The screenshots are genuine and have not been altered. Their statement is a deliberate attempt to discredit valid concerns without addressing the substance of the issue.

**Equality Amplified has been able to see and verify the message exchange that took place between both Nuneaton Pride and a member of the the LGBTQ+ community therefore we can say with absolute certainty that the messages are in fact not faked and are exactly a described.