How Come Greenwich Council Allowed A Memorial Plaque For Stephen Lawrence But Chose Not To Allow One For Murdered Lee Rigby?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/10837459/Lee-Rigby-memorial-rejected-by-authorities.html

[mikey4444]

Seems a tad perverse, I will agree. According to the link, "Last year, the council leader, Chris Roberts, told mourners to leave Woolwich, saying: “We do not want you here.”

Can't see how Mr Roberts has not been brought to book for such a statement.

[Kromovaracun]

Because they're cowards.

They feel that it will attract extremists. Which is, frankly, shameful. The council should not allow itself to be terrorised by the butchers who killed him.

[sp1814]

It might be a case of 'once bitten twice shy':

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/oct/03/stephen-lawrence-memorial-vandalised

Perhaps a better solution would be to put the plaques up high (like the blue plaques which celebrate famous former residents of a dwelling) so that the extremists (from whichever group) can't get to them.

[ToraToraTora]

I think kromo has hit the nail on the head.

[mikey4444]

TTT...I agree (!)

Perhaps the Council could rename a street, or perhaps a shopping centre after Rigby. Extremists could hardly protect a nice big shopping Mall and remain invisible.

[Gromit]

I suspect if permission was sought today for a Stephen Lawrence memorial it too would be rejected. The existing memorial has been vandalised and attacked very many times. It is a a focus for extremists and the attacks are meant to be offensive and unpleasant.



//   Three men are being hunted by police today after the latest in a string of attempts to vandalise a memorial plaque to murdered student Stephen Lawrence. //

// Attacked: The Stephen Lawrence memorial plaque laid at the point where he died in Eltham
Two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of damaging a memorial to Stephen Lawrence.

The pair, aged 18 and 19, are suspected of “kicking over” a vase of flowers and spitting on the plaque. //


I fear (and assume the authorities agree) that a memorial to Lee Rigby would attrack a similar minority of extremists who would desecrate it to deliberately cause offence. Sadly they have concluded the best way of avoiding offense to Lee Rigby's memory is too not erect a target to be vandalised.

In other words, they have learned the lesson from the Stephen Lawrence memorial, that these things just attract unpleasant boneheads to cause pain and offence to the community.

[Kromovaracun]

There is something distasteful about that though - those boneheads effectively get given exactly what they want, and they get it from being boneheads. Something's not right there.

[Gromit]

The Statue of Margaret Thatcher in the Guildhall Gallery has now had to be locked away behind unbreakable glass after it was attacked and the effigy decapitated. I wonder how it would fair if it were on a street in Geenwich?

Unfortunately, these symbols attract loons and thugs.

[berniecuddles]

you know why AOG!

[belrec]

///those boneheads effectively get given exactly what they want, and they get it from being boneheads.//

I respectfully disagree, I feel you are giving the "boneheads" a little too much credit. They probably didn't care either way and would have gone to vandalize a bin or bus shleter if the memorial hadn't been there. It was just something to do and unlikley to have been "thought about".

[WELSHYORKIE]

Seeing as Mr Roberts is not going to be seeking re-election to the council in this weeks poll, maybe there will be a change of heart?

[Sqad]

If every member of Her Majesty's Forces, who gave their lives in the fight against terrorism and evil, was treated on an individual basis,then the place would be knee deep in plaques.

[mikey4444]

Gromit...I always thought that the statue of Mrs Voldemort was locked away being bullet-proof glass to save it from her admirers that wanted to kiss it, or perhaps chip bits off, in the manner of this chap :::

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=jim+morrison%27s+grave&rls=com.microsoft:en-GB:%7Breferrer:source?%7D&rlz=1I7ADFA_en&biw=1024&bih=728&tbm=isch&;imgil=VOOydGt18hR-9M%253A%253Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fencrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com%252Fimages%253Fq%253Dtbn%253AANd9GcQNtEi3BawfYYzi2-igeqJk-Y8REcHaWB_KHE2KsJZdRyrj3lPxNg%253B1200%253B960%253BwgX3FVkqJzZKDM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fesp210tours.blogspot.com%25252F&;source=iu&;usg=__ZojvIOBfBlvBlzuJy0aq1SIu4ls%3D&sa=X&ei=zgl6U-mgD6_X7Ab_h4DIDw&sqi=2&ved=0CDUQ9QEwAg#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=VOOydGt18hR-9M%253A%3BwgX3FVkqJzZKDM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F4.bp.blogspot.com%252F-MfH7kwhLFuw%252FUZLTnwqymjI%252FAAAAAAAAAE0%252Ffk96fc5fOB0%252Fs1600%252Fil_fullxfull.48331176.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fesp210tours.blogspot.com%252F%3B1200%3B960

[Peter Pedant]

.

Lack of B+lls really

and this is not new

Rhodes-Moorhouse the first airman VC 1915 had a plinth and captured gun in the square in Beaminster.
Here is the dedicatory plaque now in a Church wall
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:RhodesMoorhouse_RFC_VC.jpg
But why there and not beneath said gun ?

because in 1940 the town voted to dismantle the gun
because it might glint in the mmonlight and guide bombers to bomb erm Beaminster - pop 800.

erm yeah

and it was said that when Peace came the family refused to rededicate the gun, and the whole thing [plinth] was dismantled.......

[emmie]

cowards, if it was defaced as perhaps likely, then you clean it up, or put it behind some toughened glass, as to attracting extremists, didn't this already happen, the two bastards that killed him did so on their patch, two extremists who should never see the light of day again. They targeted him because he was wearing a help for heroes shirt, some day this country is going to wake up to the danger these people really pose, and the council are useless for not seeing this

[anotheoldgit]

Perhaps it would be a good idea to install a memorial plaque, then a careful watch could be taken to see who tried to deface it, these could then be arrested as potential terrorists.

[sp1814]

AOG

A honey trap?

Not such a bad idea to be honest. But rather than arrest them immediately, use the information as intelligence.

[Gromit]

They have had to install CCTV cameras at the Stephen Lawrence memorial because it is a frequent target for attack. It has led to several arrest but those only result in piddling fines.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1291445/CCTV-shows-racist-gang-vandalising-Stephen-Lawrence-memorial.html

I am not sure a plaque inviting attack by morons is the ideal way to commemorate Drummer Lee Rigby. Even under the current draconian terrorism laws, it is a bit of a stretch to make vandalising a plaque a terrorism offence.

[Gromit]

I notice that you advocate watching a hypothetical Rigby plaque and arresting those who might attack it.

But on the real plaque to Lawrence which is constantly attacked, you are strangely silent.

Double standards perhaps?