Extinction Rebellion desecrate cenotaph.
 

On another site I’ve seen a video of someone dressed as a soldier walking across the wreaths at the cenotaph this morning to place a “climate change” wreath above the others at the cenotaph.

He actually stepped on the wreaths at the Cenotaph.

I’m saddened that XR will not denounce it, I’m saddened that the chap looks in his 70’s and he thinks this is an ok thing to do.

Hoping he’s a Walt.

https://metro.co.uk/2020/11/11/extin...-day-13575181/

Veteran Donald Bell hangs the wreath on the Cenotaph :ugh:


https://videos.metro.co.uk/video/met...2212816987.mp4

This...

XR certainly know how to shoot themselves in the foot!

The lack of respect is, frankly, breathtaking.

Why does this deluded idiot think it is OK to hijack remembrance day and tread on the wreaths laid in memory of the very young people this country sent to war and who were killed doing their duty to defend this country - absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with climate change.

NOTHING deserves this disrespect. People like this make me sick.

I didn’t know he was a veteran.

surprisingly he says that the fact he is a veteran gives him the right to step on the wreaths.

I haven’t served, so it’s hard for me to understand some things, but I don’t see how serving gives you the right to step on the memory of your fallen comrades.

Does it?

We have met the enemy, and he is us.

They only want the press exposure and try anything "new/different" to get it. Maybe people should find something that XR find dear to them and then "crap" on that. Unfortunately when Police sit and watch letting them do what they wish does not give anybody, especially youngsters, a very good example does it!

I was none too happy to see the public excluded from the Cenotaph ceremony on Sunday... Just have to accept it, I guess...!!!

He may have served (in what, as what?). He is still a Walt.

I suppose a retrospective court-martial is out of the question. Anyone who has served knows the sacrifices that have been made, and YOU DO NOT step on wreaths of remembrance.

Four tours in NI, and injured in a bombing in which 2 colleagues were killed, according to this.

As such, he should know better. Far better.

Pick your fights.
 

I have no problem with him standing up for his XR beliefs, I have a real problem with him attempting to steal the show, particularly when that show is:
a) To respect those who have gone before on all sides.
b) To remind us all not to go down that road again (which would surely be in line with XR's ideals?).

Editing to say that he was careful in his approach, and withdrawal from the Cenotaph, fair dos; I still disagree hugely with his attempt to steal the show; not the time, not the place.
I stand by my original statement ;

Buffoon.

Absolutely disgusted by this.

Also downright angry that these morons are undermining their own cause, which is something if left to sane minds would probably be handled just fine.

If they can't play nice, ban the movement and lock them up.

I presume he didn’t like those colleagues and didn’t want to respect their memory.

But I don’t think that means he can tread on the memory of others does it?

Emma Thompson will turn up to defend him shortly I suppose.

May not have been the most sensitive way of going about things.

But he's absolutely right. The biggest risk to our country of climate change is war. It's not rising sea levels, we're not the Maldives. It's not desertification, we're not short of rain. The risk is some poxy country far away that needs water and attacks some other country, and we get drawn in.

Think it's far fetched? Look at ww1. Watch the video above. Read the MoD report.

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From what I can see, the Cenotaph wasn't desecrated.
He didn't stand on any of the wreaths that had been laid. In fact, I can see that he was trying to not stand on any of them.

I don't like XR, I think they are an utterly repugnant group and, given their radical energy agenda, it is ironic that they would highlight that climate change means war, when their own vision will also result in conflict over rare earths and other resources to manufacture the kit.

With that said, I think there's quite an overreaction here. I don't see the fallen being disrespected, nobody has attempted to burn the flags, draw graffiti on the Cenotaph or climb on it which is a stark contrast to the events in the summer. The dude just laid a wreath, without standing on any of the others.
Those we are remembering today made the ultimate sacrifice for King/Queen and Country, in the defence of our freedom. One of those freedoms is the freedom of expression, and, while the group is misguided, it is absolutely reasonable to highlight that if we don't tackle climate change now, we will only see an increase in conflict. They have a right to a peaceful protect, just as much as you have the right to call them a bunch of d*cks for doing it on this day. That's how freedom works and I wouldn't want to live anywhere with lower standards.

It was a publicity stunt to attract media attention to their cause. Seems it worked.

Oh, and the Cenotaph was opened in 1920 to commemorate those lives lost in WW1. There was no threat to our freedom in WW1 at all.

Exactly...
They wouldn't do this if it wouldn't get the entire country's backs up. They wanted to start a conversation.

Being a little controversial gets the conversation going. Look - we have an example of that right here.
Now everybody is trying to figure out how this could mean more war, if they haven't figured it out already.

This has even attracted the attention of senior members of Her Majesty's Government, such as Johnny Mercer MP.

I always question the motives of people when the 'conversation' they want to start is patently only ever going to be at full volume and accompanied by a chest poke.