Admiral Duncan, London, England
One of the oldest homosexual bars in Soho, The Admiral Duncan is located on Old Compton Street in the heart of London. Neo-Nazi David Copeland bombed the bar in 1999, killing three people and injuring 83 others in the process. Dennis Collins, an Irish ex-sailor with wooden legs who resided at the bar, was accused with high treason in June of that year after allegedly hurling stones at King William IV at Ascot Racecourse. Collins was found guilty and given the traditional medieval punishment for high treason—hanging, drawing, and chopping—as his punishment. But his sentence was swiftly changed to life in prison and then he was brought over to Australia.
On April 30, 1999, at about 6:05 p.m., David Copeland, a Neo-Nazi, put a device in a sports bag in the Admiral Duncan. As part of a one-man strategy to incite racial and homophobic tensions, he had set three bombs in London. On the Sunday after the assault, a sizable outdoor gathering was spontaneously organized in Soho Square and attracted hundreds of people. One of the speeches was from the assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, who promised to keep a crime scene van outside the bar staffed exclusively by openly gay and lesbian police officers and use it to interview witnesses and gather evidence until the perpetrator was apprehended. This marked a turning point for the previously often tempestuous relationship between the LGBT community and the Metropolitan Police.
The Admiral Duncan and all other LGBT pubs and businesses operating under Westminster City Council's authority, including those in Soho and Covent Garden, were required to take down their pride flags by the end of 2005. The council asserted that flying the flags would require companies to get advertising permits since doing so would violate their local development plan's prohibition on advertising. Some companies who requested permission to fly flags had their requests denied. Due to criticism from the then-Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, the I Love Soho movement, and media reports alleging homophobia within the Council, the Council changed its policy and now permits shops to display rainbow flags without seeking permission.
Location: 54 Old Compton Street, London
