Vandals defaced a Cenotaph war memorial in Rochdale, England with graffiti that read “Free Palestine” on Tuesday amid the growing controversy over plans from anti-Israel activists to hold a protest on Armistice Day.
An investigation has been launched and Police Community Support Officers have been tasked with protecting the Cenotaph in Rochdale after the memorial for British veterans was vandalised with “Free Palestine” graffiti.
A spokesman for Rochdale Borough Council said per Sky News: “On the afternoon of Tuesday 7 November graffiti was sprayed on the Cenotaph. This is totally unacceptable and is also being investigated by police.
“The graffiti will be removed as soon as we are able to.
“We are proud of our strong links with our armed forces community. Our war memorials and monuments are incredibly important and should be respected by everyone at all times.”
A local resident told the outlet that the incident was “heartbreaking”, saying: “I’ve been coming and going for the last two or three days trying to protect it in small ways.”
“This community is very veteran-led in Rochdale. It’s got a lot of veterans – it’s disturbing,” he added.
The act of vandalism followed a separate incident after two teenagers — who have not been named for legal reasons — were charged with intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance at the Cenotaph.
Disgusting….
Rochdale Cenotaph vandalised by Free Palestine idiots
They disrespect Britain, our history and our sacrifice….. pic.twitter.com/TsboSpLahb
— Richard Tice (@TiceRichard) November 7, 2023
The incidents in Rochdale come as the United Kingdom is preparing to celebrate Armistice Day, the European equivalent of Veterans Day in America. Controversy has arisen over plans to hold a large-scale pro-Palestine protest on Saturday in London, which many have described as disrespectful to the nation’s fallen and veterans on a day which is meant to be a non-political act of remembrance and support for peace.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has urged police to take swift action against anyone who defaces war memorials during the protest, saying: “If anyone were to vandalise the Cenotaph, they must be put into a jail cell faster than their feet can touch the ground”.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said: “We continue to believe that planning protests on Armistice Day is provocative and disrespectful, and we urge organisers to reconsider.”
However, the government has punted on making a decision on banning the protest, leaving the decision up to the Metropolitan Police in London. Met Police Commissioner Mark Rowley said that “there is no absolute power to ban protest” except under exceptional circumstances and “therefore there will be a protest this weekend.”
According to a report from The Telegraph, at least three of the groups behind the planned anti-Israel protest scheduled for Saturday have connections to the Hamas terrorists that launched a barbaric series of terror attacks against Israel on October 7th that left around 1,200 people dead. One of the groups helping to organise the demonstration includes the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB), which was reportedly founded by former Hamas commander Muhammad Kathem Sawalha, a wanted fugitive of Israel who was granted British citizenship in the early 2000s.
London’s Met Police Beg Pro-Palestine Protesters to ‘Reconsider’ Demo on Armistice Dayhttps://t.co/6B6UTt3IBz
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) November 7, 2023
Editor’s Note: This story was updated to reflect a revised number on the death toll from the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel. The Israeli government estimate of 1,400 was revised to around 1,200, according to Reuters.
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