A large sticker encouraging violence towards gay men was spotted on a telegraph pole in Melbourne over the Australia Day holiday.

The sticker that reads, “Cure AIDS! Kick a p**fter to death!” has caused great upset and concern among community leaders and has garnered the anger of social media. The sticker appeared on a telegraph pole on Chapel Street before being removed by police. It was posted days after a man was assaulted in St. Kilda, likely a homophobic hate crime.

Melbourne’s LGBT community has condemned the sticker for aiming to create fear and stigmatise people who are HIV positive. Living Positive Victoria chief executive Brent Allan lodged a complaint to media outlets and to Victoria Police to take action.

He wrote, “These sorts of cowardly acts affect the safety and securing of those most vulnerable in our community. I would request that authorities take the appropriate steps to remove these stickers and record this incident as a violent and threatening act against the GLBTIQ community and against people living with HIV. I would also like the matter noted in the record as yet another act of aggression and violence towards marginalised communities, being gay men and people living with HIV.”

Stonnington Council has logged the incident with the graffiti removal team. A council spokesperson said, “Our council supports and promotes diversity… We were recently re-accredited for the Rainbow Tick for the next three years, which means we’re formally accredited with demonstrating LGBTI inclusive service delivery and practice.”