'Justice for Heklina' rally and march in London and San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO - It's been nearly two years since the death of Heklina, a beloved San Francisco drag queen who left her mark on not only the Bay Area, but on drag culture at large.
While many questions remain about her death, a rally in London, the city where she died, and a march in San Francisco on Monday, demanded more action into the investigation of her death from officials.
Nearly 100 people rallied across the pond for Heklina. It's a case where no official cause of death has been announced by the police.
Fellow drag performer Peaches Christ, who co-starred with Heklina in a production that was on tour in London at the time of her death, posted about the rally and march on social media.
Heklina died in April 2023. The prolific drag queen helped open the popular nightlife cabaret venue, Oasis, in 2014.
"The JUSTICE FOR HEKLINA march and rally in London was so powerful. Thank you so much to everyone who came out to support the cause. If you can attend the San Francisco sister march tonight, please do!" Peaches Christ, also known as Joshua Grannell, wrote.
Grannell has told media outlets he suspects homophobia, on the part of London's Metropolitan Police, tainted the investigation of Heklina's death.
Signs at the rally read: "Queer People Are People. No More Police Hate" and "No Justice, No Peace. Stop Met Police Homophobia."
A Justice for Heklina rally and march was scheduled to begin at legendary LGBTQ+ bar The Stud and end at Oasis on Monday evening.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
5 hours ago
- New York Post
‘Bridgerton' actress Genevieve Chenneour fights off thief, accomplice who ‘threatened to stab' her in shocking coffee shop clash
Actress Genevieve Chenneour turned the tables on a notorious thief and his accomplice who threatened to stab her 'multiple times' during a bold phone-snatching attempt at a London coffee shop, dramatic footage shows. Chenneour, who played Clara Livingston in the third season of Netflix's hit series 'Bridgerton,' said Wednesday that she was left with a concussion after prolific London thug Zacariah Boulares, 18, attacked her at a Joe & the Juice in London's ritzy Kensington neighborhood. Shocking footage shows Chenneour, 27, confronting the convicted thief who snuck up behind her before snatching her phone on February 8. 9 Actress Genevieve Chenneour turned the tables on a notorious thief and his accomplice who threatened to stab her 'multiple times' during a bold phone-snatching attempt in London. Met Police Chenneour wasted no time springing into action after Boulares — dressed in all black with a navy baseball cap — pounced to grab her device just moments after his friend left the table. The actress — a former Team GB artistic swimmer — put her arm out to block Boulares from leaving the premises, causing him to drop the phone on the floor. She successfully retrieves the phone while Boulares grapples with her friend, leaving onlookers stunned. 'The guy that walks up to me at the end was the man threatening to stab me multiple times,' Chenneour wrote on her Instagram Story Wednesday. 'That was the moment something took over me and the physical fight became life or death in my mind. Crazy, watching the beginning of this footage, it gives me chills.' 9 Chenneour said she was left with a concussion after she was attacked at a Joe & the Juice in London's ritzy Kensington neighborhood. Met Police 9 Prolific London thug Zacariah Boulares, 18, pleaded guilty to the attack on the Netflix star. Met Police After sharing several other clips of the ordeal with her 15,000 followers on the platform, the actress added, 'Man I feel sick watching this.' Another video showed her distressed Maltipoo pup during the physical brawl. 'My poor baby was screaming and barking. I now have a major issue with people touching me in front of him thanks to these c–s,' the Netflix star added. Chenneour claimed that authorities released Boulares' accomplice due to insufficient evidence. 'The man that threatened to stab me will not be going to court and has been released due to lack of evidence,' she wrote. 'I know karma will get him.' 9 Shocking footage shows Chenneour, 27, confronting the convicted thief who snuck up behind her before snatching her phone on February 8. Met Police 9 The actress put her arm out to block Boulares from leaving the premises, causing him to drop the phone on the floor. @genevievechenneour/Instagram Chenneour previously opened up about the distressing incident in an interview with the Daily Mail, saying the thugs 'didn't expect' her to fight back. 'I was left with a concussion just before the Screen Actors Guild Awards and since then, I've felt constantly on edge,' she told the outlet. 'Even my dog was traumatized — now, if anyone touches me, he panics and tries to protect me. Getting a coffee shouldn't be something you need your wits about you for.' 9 Chenneour claimed that authorities released Boulares' accomplice due to insufficient evidence. The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images 9 The actress recounted the harrowing ordeal on her Instagram Story. @genevievechenneour/Instagram 'I'm so grateful to the staff at Joe & The Juice — they were incredible during the incident and when I went back to see them after,' she added. Boulares has a long criminal record and previously served time for threatening to behead Welsh singer Aled Jones during a robbery in which he stole the singer's $23,000 Rolex in London. The then-16-year-old was sentenced to 24 months in custody for the attack in October 2023 but was released early after serving just 14 months. 'That moment is a blur of survival. And to know that Boulares had previously walked the street with a machete makes me realize how serious this threat was,' Chenneour said following the ordeal. 'London has become increasingly dangerous, and this cannot be normalized. I'm not just speaking for myself — I'm speaking for every person who's had enough.' 9 Chenneour played Clara Livingston in the third season of Netflix's hit series 'Bridgerton.' Netflix 9 The actress shared clips of the ordeal with her 15,000 followers on the platform. @genevievechenneour/Instagram The Algerian national has since been involved in a series of criminal offenses and has pleaded guilty to the attack on Chenneour, as well as the assault of another customer. The Metropolitan Police had identified Boulares in surveillance footage from the attack. He will be sentenced on June 17.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lord Brittan's widow says closure of police misconduct probe ‘undermines trust'
The widow of former home secretary Lord Brittan, who was falsely accused of being part of a paedophile ring in Westminster, said her trust in the Met and the police watchdog has been 'severely undermined' after an investigation into an officer over his handling of the claims was dropped. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said last week it had stopped the investigation into former Met deputy assistant commissioner Steve Rodhouse after a 'large volume of relevant material was recently disclosed to the IOPC by the Metropolitan Police'. Mr Rodhouse was due to face a disciplinary hearing for potentially breaching police professional standards of behaviour for honesty and integrity and discreditable conduct. The allegations centred around comments made to the media in March 2016 concerning his beliefs about the honesty of two witnesses to Operation Midland – a Met investigation into allegations of non-recent sexual abuse. They also involved remarks he is alleged to have subsequently made to former High Court judge Sir Richard Henriques, who had been commissioned to carry out an independent review of the handling of Operation Midland in August 2016. In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Lady Diana Brittan said she had hoped the investigation would bring a sense of 'closure'. She said: 'My husband was a high-profile individual, but at every level of society there are people who are falsely accused, and for them (also) it's the ruining of reputation, it's the anxiety that goes with it. 'I feel that it would have at least put a closure, to use that odd word, on the whole episode if somebody had been held to account, either for misconduct, or even for incompetence.' Operation Midland was launched off the back of lurid and false allegations made by fantasist Carl Beech – later jailed for 18 years for what a judge called 'cruel and callous' lies. The Metropolitan Police's 16-month investigation into fake claims of a VIP paedophile ring saw raids on the homes of Lord Brittan, as well as D-Day veteran Lord Bramall and ex-Tory MP Harvey Proctor. The probe ended in 2016 without a single arrest after Beech made a series of baseless allegations, including of three murders. The force was heavily criticised for believing Beech too readily despite inconsistencies in his evidence, including naming witnesses who did not exist. The IOPC said there was 'no evidence' within the material provided from the Met that there was 'any inappropriate motivation in Mr Rodhouse's comments to the media' or which 'supports that he made those remarks during Sir Richard's review'. Mr Rodhouse said the allegations made against him were 'ill-founded and incorrect'. Mr Proctor said he was 'appalled' by the 'disgraceful decision' not to proceed, adding he would be writing to Sir Mark Rowley, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, to 'demand a meeting and an explanation'. Lady Brittan said she felt her husband's legacy had been permanently tarnished by the episode, telling the BBC: 'What I really feel very sorry about is the fact that my husband was a great public servant. 'When he died, his obituaries referred to all of this.'
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Iconic 90s Rock Band Plays Epic Show After Releasing First Album In 24 Years
Iconic 90s Rock Band Plays Epic Show After Releasing First Album In 24 Years originally appeared on Parade. Iconic classic rock band Pulp played a seriously sick show in Dublin, Ireland on June 10 — just four days after they released their first studio album in nearly 24 years. The group — which consists of legendary singer, guitarist, and frontman Jarvis Cocker, keyboardist Candida Doyle, guitarist Mark Webber, and drummer Nick Banks — brought down the house at the 3Arena in Ireland's capital city. The show came just days after the release of their new album, which is titled More, on June 6. The album marks their eighth studio release, nearly a quarter of a century after they put out their last one. We Love Life, their previous record, was released in 2001. They did play a few shows back in 2011 and drop a single or two in 2013, but this is the first major release from the band in many years. They dropped their first record back in 1983, five years after forming the band in Sheffield, England when Cocker, 61, and friend Peter Dalton were just young teenagers. Minus Cocker, much of the band's original line-up never made it past high school graduation, as they went off to continue their studies. But Cocker just drummed up a new set of musicians to take over. By the early 90s, they found mainstream success with their 1994 album His 'n' Hers, as well as their 1995 follow-up Different Class, which spawned the hit single 'Common People.' The band is generally considered one of the core four Britpop groups, alongside Oasis — who is reuniting this summer after 16 years — and their contemporaries Blur and Suede. As for their current tour, Pulp is currently playing across Europe and Asia through August, stopping off in Spain, England, and South Korea before taking their tour across the United States for the month of September. As of now, that's all they have on the calendar as far as the tour goes — but no matter what, we thankfully have their exciting new album to immerse ourselves in when the shows are over. Iconic 90s Rock Band Plays Epic Show After Releasing First Album In 24 Years first appeared on Parade on Jun 11, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
