Twisted Element a 'hate crime' target, says Calgary gay bar owner

The owner of a gay bar in Calgary says his business has been the target of a hate crime.

Rayjean (R.J.)Fafard, owner of the Twisted Element, posted a video on Facebook showing a man yanking down a gaypride flag hanging outside his establishment.

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Fafard says the bar has experienced broken windows, eggings and other vandalism since it opened more than a decade ago.

He believes theactsaredeliberate.

"It's hurtful in the sense of, you know, like countries around the worldeverybody has a flag. Ours is the rainbow flag, so that means that is the definition of who we are and what it represents for us. So when you attack the pride flag, you're attacking the gay community," he said.

Fafard points to more acceptance of the gay community and the U.S. Supreme Court decision passing gay rights into law as factors.

Police have begun an investigation into the incident.