A bigoted vandal has defaced a rainbow gay Pride sign across the front entrance to The Royal Gazette.

The rainbow artwork, installed by Bermuda Press (Holdings) Ltd, the parent company of the newspaper, to mark the first Pride parade in Bermuda tomorrow, was spraypainted sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning.

The vandal was caught on CCTV.

Jonathan Howes, the CEO of Bermuda Press (Holdings) said: “It is disgusting that a cowardly individual or individuals decided to use spray paint to deface the Pride signage on the entrance to our building in the middle of the night.”

He added: “We have chosen to leave the sign installed with the graffiti intact to remind everyone that this type of immature behaviour can not be tolerated in Bermuda.”

Mr Howes said: “BPHL and its subsidiaries have a diverse workforce and it is important that we are inclusive.

“The Pride sign on The Royal Gazette building, and by extension the Pride parade today, is a chance for our company to demonstrate that we are an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate based on sexual orientation.”