Last weekend saw unprecedented levels of violence and desecration of war memorials and also at the Cenotaph. At one point someone attempted to burn the flags at the Cenotaph but was stopped. Social media chatter was ablaze last night with talk of attempting to bring down the statues of Oliver Cromwell and Winston Churchill outside of Parliament.
Reports indicated yesterday that groups of concerned citizens had gathered next to the Churchill statue to stop it from being graffiti’d but were then moved on by the Police. Subsequently it was defaced with slogans calling Churchill a racist and also ANTIFA slogans.
Different groups attended to clean the statue including prominent YouTube personality Mahyar Tousi:
We came to Westminster just after 6am to clean up the mess the rioters left behind. We won’t let a group of anti-British thugs ruin our great city. The media won’t show you this but #WeAreTheMediaNow pic.twitter.com/8MB1GFjJzc
— Mahyar Tousi (@MahyarTousi) June 8, 2020
Many groups of activists have called for a mobilisation of people to central London and other parts of the UK including figures such as Tommy Robinson and Richard Inman. Many have welcomed the moves but some have argued that it could be counter-productive by playing into the hands of the media and establishment if any violence was to take place. Many of those indicating their willingness to defend these memorials have indicated their frustrations at the Police for not defending sites of such meaning to the British People.
As you can see above one Facebook group has rocketed to over 18,000 members who are volunteering to protect British memorials and the group states of their aims:
This is a private group set up to protect the most sacred of memorials in the UK dedicated to the fallen. But with careful planning, we can protect not only this monument, but other, just as important memorials wherever they may be. This group is not here to incite, provoke or otherwise demean social groups, ethnic groups and/or any one with any other irrelevant factors. We are here to protect the memorial/s and educate the negative behaviour of those that seem to have forgot, or never learned of the sacrifices of those before them that allows them to protest in such a manner.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been criticised in some quarters, as has Sadiq Khan & Cressida Dick, but he has since condemned the scenes of wanton violence and vandalism saying:
“People have a right to protest peacefully & while observing social distancing but they have no right to attack the police. These demonstrations have been subverted by thuggery – and they are a betrayal of the cause they purport to serve. Those responsible will be held to account.”
UNN will keep you fully up to date with what is going on across our social media channels and nightly shows.#
Lead Correspondent | David Clews is the Lead Correspondent for UNN, with over 20 years of political/campaigning experience and a wealth of social media and communication skills David gets to the heart of what is really important to the real people of the UK.
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