CHATHAM, England – Paul and Annie Riggs told Kent Online in an interview that they have been continually harassed over the past two years. Chatham is located in southeast England about 12 miles outside London.
Both Riggs are tattoo artists, owning and operating Kult Klassic Tattoo Studio. They also have numerous tattoos all over their bodies, which seems to be part of what their neighbors object to–their appearance.
Annie Riggs is also a Pagan who practices a form of Witchcraft, plays in a punk rock band, and reads tarot cards. She stated in the interview that she moved into the property and neighborhood in 2006.
Entrance to the Historic Dockyard, Chatham [Photo Credit: Nick Macneill CC-ASA 2.0]
Paul and Annie Riggs have been together for seven years, but current harassment began about two years ago with their vehicle being blocked and their tires being deflated.
“From there it’s really escalated. I’ve had people shouting in the street at 3 am ‘I will drive you out’ and calling me ‘baldy’. It’s a hate campaign,” Paul Riggs told Kent Online.
Recently, the situation has escalated even further.
First, someone painted graffiti across their front gate that said, “Get Out.” Then they received a threatening printed letter which read:
Paul n Annie
All of us of Dagmar road have made clear that we don’t want your type living amongst us .
tattoos n witchcraft are not wanted here we are all prepared to do whatever it takes to be rid of you both
We suggest you start looking for somewhere else to live for your own good
Dagmar road residents
Local authorities confirmed that the most recent incidents were being looked into.
“We’re investigating a report criminal damage was caused to a property at around 3.10 pm on Tuesday,” police spokesman James Walker said.
Walker also stated that they were aware of the threatening letter being sent to the Riggs’ address and appealed to members of the public to contact the authorities if they had any information.
The couple also has a 12-year-old son who lives with them, and Paul Riggs said, “He was very upset with it and seeing the graffiti.”
Paul Riggs also said that while the police had been sympathetic to the harassment they have experienced, there was not much the police could do “without catching people in the act.”
It is hard to say what triggered the targeted harassment of the Riggs, but this would not be the first time that someone in England has been harassed over their practice or beliefs.
Earlier this month in Derbyshire a shop that sells Pagan magical supplies and gifts was reported as being harassed.
The shop named The Coven is owned by Jeanine Hamlyn and in an interview with Debyshire Online described the harassment, “I have been verbally abused in my stores, I have had my windows spat on by people passing by. I have had abuse from other religions over the internet and had bibles and crucifixes through my letterbox, but this most certainly will not stop me.”
Hamlyn’s shop grew out of a holiday market stall that she started three years ago and since has expanded enough that she has a permanent storefront and quit her part-time job at a pub to work full-time at The Coven.
She is also committed to disabusing people of their misconceptions about Paganism and Witchcraft.
Hamlyn told Derbyshire Online, “In fact, I aim to get even bigger, even stronger and ensure that the stigma around Paganism and its people is a thing of the past.”
“My aim is to bring more understanding to the general population regarding the culture, regarding Wicca, the people, the practice, and to ensure that we are no longer a taboo,” she said.
In 2019 TWH covered the harassment of the shop Spellbound in Gloucester, which was not the shop’s first brush with such activity either.
In fact, Spellbound was the subject of a hate campaign two years prior to 2019, when the staff received death and arson threats.
In 2017 store owner, Toni Hunt said, “If we were members any other religion or group it would be treated as a hate crime and dealt with appropriately. Persecution of witches did not end centuries ago – it is still very prominent in the 21st century and we are being subjected to it regularly.”
In the case of Spellbound, the police were not particularly helpful or sympathetic and Hunt said at the time, “We have had a history of problems because of the type of shop we are … It’s not just antisocial behaviour – it’s consistent and persistent.”
She also called for more awareness of Pagan beliefs to be taught in schools. “The only thing to do is educate your children to have respect for people with different beliefs.”
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