Winston Churchill memorial vandalized on D-Day anniversary during George Floyd protest in London (VIDEOS, PHOTOS)
Amid London protests over the death of George Floyd, some vandals targeted a statue of Winston Churchill on the 76th anniversary of D-Day, sparking instant outrage.
Spray-painted on the monument appear to be the letters ‘ACAB’, which may stand for ‘All Cops Are Bad’ – an acronym which has been used at Black Lives Matter demonstrations in the past.
Video footage shows an unidentified man tearing into police officers at the protest over them not guarding the Churchill memorial in Parliament Square.
“It's disgusting,” the man tells the officers, who say they did not see who perpetrated the vandalism. “So, why are you not guarding it now? Should I get all the football lads to guard it now, should I?”
The Sir Winston Churchill Statue in Parliament Square, Westminster has been defaced already... Cc @LFC_blanopic.twitter.com/P71ECYezrB
— London & UK Crime.. (@CrimeLdn) June 6, 2020
“We will deal with it if we see it happen again,” one of the officers says.
Plenty took to social media to call out the protesters behind the vandalism.
“Real antifascists did this, 76 years ago,” journalist Raheem Kassam tweeted alongside a photo of soldiers from D-Day. “Fake antifascists desecrated the Churchill statue in London, today.”
Real antifascists did this, 76 years ago.Fake antifascists desecrated the Churchill statue in London, today.#DDaypic.twitter.com/xOb0NpdGpF
— Raheem Kassam (@RaheemKassam) June 6, 2020
“The way things are going, within 10 years. they'll be trying to pull the Churchill statue down completely,” Paul Joseph Watson added.
The way things are going, within 10 years. they'll be trying to pull the Churchill statue down completely. https://t.co/bn6GQyaRAm
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) June 6, 2020
The statue of Sir Winston Churchill, the man who guided our nation through its darkest hour, recognised as one of the greatest ever Britons, has been defaced. Where are the police? pic.twitter.com/AzA6hODGJ1
— Darren Grimes (@darrengrimes_) June 6, 2020
Dear the mobYou see those two things vanishing off into the distance at great speed?They’re called solidarity and good will. https://t.co/q9vy9OREbS
— Laurence Fox 🥦 (@LozzaFox) June 6, 2020
Defacing a statue of Winston Churchill would be an outrageous act of vandalism at any time.That such an act has reportedly been performed on the 76th Anniversary of D-Day is simply unacceptable.
— Bruges Group 🇬🇧 (@BrugesGroup) June 6, 2020
Video later showed police forming a barrier around the statue to protect it from further vandalism.
Police now standing by Winston Churchill’s statue after scumbags defaced it. pic.twitter.com/F8IDNIMmAI
— Michael Heaver (@Michael_Heaver) June 6, 2020
Despite the UK health minister warning citizens not to join Saturday’s demonstrations due to fears over the spread of Covid-19, thousands gathered in cities like London and Manchester to protest the death of Floyd, who died on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The four officers involved in the incident have all been charged, including Derek Chauvin, who was seen in a now-infamous video holding his knee against Floyd’s neck while he protested that he couldn’t breathe.
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