Poppy wreaths burned at memorial

[markinbelfast]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7735316.stm

Poppy wreaths burned at memorial

Poppy wreaths were burned at the war memorial in Armagh

Wreaths laid in remembrance at a County Armagh war memorial have been set on fire.

About 16 Royal British Legion wreaths at the memorial in the mall in Armagh city were damaged on Monday.

Ulster Unionist Party deputy leader Danny Kennedy said it was a "totally despicable act".

"Just over a week ago we came together to remember those who had paid the ultimate sacrifice in both world wars and in more recent conflicts."

"This act of destruction is a complete insult and slur on their memory," he said.

"Those who carried out this act would do well to remember that the poppy represents men and women from both communities and both sides of the border."

[hudsonswhistle]

What on earth is this world coming to

[Brian Curragh]

What a very sad & despicable thing to do.

Brian

[Neil Clark]

I wonder which side of the sectarian divide these idiots came from? No prizes for guessing right...

They probably don't know what the Ulster Division was or that thousands of brave & gallant Catholics from the South also gave their lives in the name of FREEDOM for ALL living on the island.

"Those who carried out this act would do well to remember that the poppy represents men and women from both communities and both sides of the border."

[Chris_Baker]

Perhaps we ought to focus more on the positive: the rapid growth of remembrance, particularly this year, in Ireland. The wonderful things that have been achieved this year in Cork, Mayo and elsewhere.

[irishmen1916]

Perhaps we ought to focus more on the positive: the rapid growth of remembrance, particularly this year, in Ireland. The wonderful things that have been achieved this year in Cork, Mayo and elsewhere.

Some work done........a lot more to do.

[Murrough]

Until the PSNI have arrested these cretins I think we should refrain from speculating as to their religious affiliations.

I hope this post does not breach forum rules.

Murrough.

[Neil Clark]

As though that's likely

[loganshort]

Chris is right, although the culprits should be made to remember what may have happened if Germany had won. Supplying rifles to Ireland put the Irish in Germany's debt. They would have suffered afterwards once Germany took over the island, which it undoubtably would have done as a German colony.

[Murrough]

Pehaps we should not think that these idiots were making some type of political statement and this was just an act of wanton vandalism,descreation of memorials also happens in other countries and I think we should not read too much into it.After watching events in NI for 30 years,I have come to the conclusilon that things are not black and white in NI but a distinct shade of grey.

Murrough.

[Murrough]

I should have added that both the UVF and the INV received arms from Germany,the UVF the larger amount,but I would never have thought that either group would have been beholden to Germany as both groups Volunteered en-masse to fight for Britain.

Regards,

Murrough

[pcullen66]

A dispicable act, but the sacrifice of so many can not be tarnished by the burning of the poppies. The poppies can be replaced. Think back to Enniskillen and the evil act that took place where people were murdered and mamed.

Gordon Wilson's daughter was killed that day.In an interview with the BBC, Wilson described with anguish his last conversation with his daughter and his feelings toward her killers: "She held my hand tightly, and gripped me as hard as she could. She said, 'Daddy, I love you very much.' Those were her exact words to me, and those were the last words I ever heard her say." To the astonishment of listeners, Wilson went on to add, "But I bear no ill will. I bear no grudge. Dirty sort of talk is not going to bring her back to life. She was a great wee lassie. She loved her profession. She was a pet. She's dead. She's in heaven and we shall meet again. I will pray for these men tonight and every night." As historian Jonathan Bardon recounts, "No words in more than twenty-five years of violence in Northern Ireland had such a powerful, emotional impact."

I agree everybody must focus on the positive and ignore these fools who would drag us back to dark times.

What we write and what we say are as powerful as our actions, they all add to the fire or quench it.

Regards,

Pol.

Remembering 3 Great uncles who died in The Great War.

Quis separabit

[Kirkes Lamb]

I think it is probably incorrect to assume it had anything to do with sectarianism-it may have been bored youngsters being plain hooligans!

I wonder which side of the sectarian divide these idiots came from? No prizes for guessing right...

They probably don't know what the Ulster Division was or that thousands of brave & gallant Catholics from the South also gave their lives in the name of FREEDOM for ALL living on the island.

"Those who carried out this act would do well to remember that the poppy represents men and women from both communities and both sides of the border."

[Guest KevinEndon]

Over the remembrance period there was a programme where a reporter went to 2 teenagers houses to tell them of a great grandfather who died in the war, can you remember seeing this programme. What shocked me was that not only did the kids not know about their great grand father they had never met his daughter, their gran. The asked the teenagers (didn't look like low life) about WW1 and they knew nothing, didn't know when it started, ended anything. They were taken to the battlefields and seem to have been interested. What's this to do about the burning of poppy wreaths I hear you ask.

Whoever set fire to the wreaths do not know about their forefathers service to the country, the Germans bringing rifles to Ireland and in many cases the fact that WW1 happened. There is a slight chance it could have been vandalism/boredom but a bigger chance it would have been secterian. You can see them now, they see the wreaths, thinking that's to do with the British Army of today and burn them. My only prayer is that N.I. can move forward, these numptees get educated and both sides can live side by side. My hat goes off to those who take the story of WW1 to the schools in N.I. it's a small step in the right direction.

Kevin

[Chris_Baker]

Spot on, Kevin.

[dfaulder]

Over the remembrance period there was a programme where a reporter went to 2 teenagers houses to tell them of a great grandfather who died in the war, can you remember seeing this programme. What shocked me was that not only did the kids not know about their great grand father they had never met his daughter, their gran. The asked the teenagers (didn't look like low life) about WW1 and they knew nothing, didn't know when it started, ended anything. They were taken to the battlefields and seem to have been interested.>><<

Any idea of the channel or programme name - might it still be available on BBC iPlayer?

>><<There is a slight chance it could have been vandalism/boredom but a bigger chance it would have been secterian.>><<

I would not underestimate the chances of vandalism/boredom. What I would acknowledge is that such action in NI is more likely to be nationally reported because of the potential to point the finger at sectarianism. Without the possible sectarian angle it is a more difficult story to report ("What's the angle?") and being human, journalists tend to be more interested in the "easier" stories. I suspect that other memorials are interfered with in some way unless specially guarded (I am sure for instance that there is a discrete guard placed on the Cenotaph between say Remembrance Sunday and the 11th.) but such stories don't get the national coverage.

(For an allied example, ask why knife crimes in London seem to get more coverage than elsewhere. Could it be that such stories are easier for London based national journalists to cover?)

David

[Murrough]

I would have to agree with David's analysis,but I would also have to say that there is a very small minority on both sides who have a vested interested in keeping sectarian strife simmering in NI.We have to accept the fact that some people are not going to change.

Regards,

Murrough.

[ARMAGH]

Poppy Box.s being stolen, memorials being damaged, it is a sad world that we live in.

Armagh

[Kitty VAD]

Gordon Wilson's daughter was killed that day.In an interview with the BBC, Wilson described with anguish his last conversation with his daughter and his feelings toward her killers: "She held my hand tightly, and gripped me as hard as she could. She said, 'Daddy, I love you very much.' Those were her exact words to me, and those were the last words I ever heard her say." To the astonishment of listeners, Wilson went on to add, "But I bear no ill will. I bear no grudge. Dirty sort of talk is not going to bring her back to life. She was a great wee lassie. She loved her profession. She was a pet. She's dead. She's in heaven and we shall meet again. I will pray for these men tonight and every night." As historian Jonathan Bardon recounts, "No words in more than twenty-five years of violence in Northern Ireland had such a powerful, emotional impact."

I agree everybody must focus on the positive and ignore these fools who would drag us back to dark times.

What we write and what we say are as powerful as our actions, they all add to the fire or quench it.

Thank you Pol, Gordon Wilson is an example to all. Like someone else said, hopefully this is a random act of vandalism and not a comment on the troubles that have blighted a beautful country for way too long.