Wise Thoughts, a pioneering LGBT and BAME arts charity in London, believe they were victims of a hate crime after 3 laptops were stolen from their office. The discovery of the burglary from their premises in Wood Green
Wise Thoughts Project manager Subodh Rathod said that the suspicious circumstances suggest charity the incident is a hate crime.
“I came in this morning, and although the doors were locked, that three of our laptops have gone missing. It’s rather unusual that nothing else was taken apart from the laptops,” Rathod said to PinkNews.
“In a building of our size, it’s seen as an opportunistic thing. Why take them in an office full of things that were of much more value?”
“For a small charity like us, the loss of these machines is a real loss.”
Wise Thoughts, is currently hosting GFest, London’s annual “All Arts, All Welcome” GFEST films, performances, visual art exhibition and debate exhibition.
To promote the event, the borough listed the advisory group’s members details in the public domain, which raises concerns
The thief was captured on CCTV footage and the hunt is on to find him, but Rathod has emphasised that the crime needs to be taken seriously so that LGBT people in Haringey feel safe and supported.
“In a borough which has very little services for LGBT community members, with little support provided, as the sole organisation providing dedicated support, it jeopardises us even further,” said Rathod.
The charity will still be running the final day of GFest, on Saturday the 25th of November, in spite of the theft.