A candle-lit vigil to commemorate Ian Baynham and other victims of homophobic hate crime was held in Trafalgar Square on Friday.
Thousands of people gathered around Nelson’s column to speak out against homophobia and pay their respects to Mr Baynham.
The 62 year old civil servant was attacked on 25 September whilst walking through Trafalgar Square. He died in hospital two weeks later. 
A three minute silence took place followed by a number of speeches and songs from the Gay Men’s Chorus. The phrase ‘No to hate’ was spelt out in candles underneath the column.
MP Darren Johnson, Kirsten Hearn from the Metropolitan Police and comedians Stephen K Amos and Sandi Toksvig were amongst those who spoke at the event.
Rise in reported attacks
Homophobic crime in London rose by nearly a fifth leading up to September last year, according to BBC news. But this could be due to the fact more victims are coming forward to the police.
Kirsten Hearn urged victims of homophobia to speak out: ‘if you experience hatred, speak up about it, do not be silent because silence kills’.
This was reinforced by a message from Prime Minister Gordon Brown who said ‘homophobia breeds in silence, thank you for speaking out today’.
It was noted that the BNP was the only party not to send a message.
Educating the youth
The youth of the attackers has shocked many.
Darren Johnson, MP, said that tackling homophobia in schools could significantly reduce prejudice and discrimination.
He noted that ‘things haven’t changed since I was at school 30 years ago, bullying hasn’t been tackled’. He insisted that children need to ‘be brought up in an atmosphere of tolerance and diversity’.
Andrew Watts, a member of the crowd, said more needs to be done in schools to promote awareness and equality. He said we need ‘to prove there’s nothing wrong with it’.
United together
The event received much support. A relative of Mr Baynham expressed his gratitude, saying to the crowd ‘we are here united throughout the globe to end hate crimes once and for all… you make the rest of the gay community around the world proud’.
Stephen K Amos ended his speech by saying ‘the diversity of this country is what makes London great… Do not be afraid of the dark. Do not allow anybody to fill you with fear. Nobody is going to stop us walking through any part of London that we please.’
