“We sell flat whites and make croissants in a bakery that’s supposed to be a safe place for the people who work here and the customers who visit. We didn’t expect to be targets of hate.” Tristan Aitchison runs the Xoko bakehouse in Inverness. Over the past year, the LGBTQ+-inclusive cafe has been subject to a succession of alleged hate incidents, including the Pride flag being ripped from its door on several occasions, as well as spitting and verbal abuse, resulting in staff working at night being issued with panic alarms. “If people want to voice an opinion, I don’t have to agree with it, but when someone comes into my cafe and tells us we are all going to hell, that’s not appropriate,” says Aitchison.