In a deeply disrespectful act, all wreaths from Lincoln City Centre’s war memorial found themselves submerged in the River Witham.
Around 4 am on the 15th of August, a male figure was caught on CCTV in the act of collecting several circular poppy wreaths and deliberately dropping them off High Bridge into the water.
He returned to the memorial multiple times until more than 20 wreaths were disposed of in this manner.
Despite being caught on CCTV, Lincolnshire Police have not released any details regarding the description of the male.
Lincolnshire Police has categorised the act as both criminal damage and a public order offence.
The swift response of the City of Lincoln Council ensured the wreaths were retrieved downstream, cleaned, and reinstated to their rightful place at the memorial.
The blatant desecration of such a revered memorial has deeply affected the community.
Officers are actively pursuing several leads to apprehend the individual responsible.
Lincolnshire Police have appealed to the public, urging anyone with information to contact them.
This incident in Lincoln is not an isolated case. The UK has witnessed a concerning trend in the past two years: 25 war memorials have been damaged.
This marks a significant increase in incidents compared to previous years. Between March 2018 and 2021, only 15 war memorials suffered damage.
The most recent case, before Lincoln’s, was recorded on the 11th of March, 2023, near Tower Bridge in London, where wreaths were cast into the River Thames.
The damage to war memorials resonates far beyond the physical act itself.
For many, it’s perceived as a direct attack on the memories of brave souls who made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation.
The rise in such incidents has sparked public and political concern alike.
The question lingers: why has there been a surge in acts desecrating the memory of national heroes?
Authorities urge residents and visitors to be vigilant and promptly report any suspicious activity surrounding memorials.
Anyone with information on the Lincoln incident is requested to contact the Lincoln city centre Neighbourhood Policing Team and cite the crime number 23000505215.
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We know nothing about this individual but I would not be surprised if he turned out to be fairly young. Our fallen war heroes died so that he could not only live but do so in freedom, which includes freedom of speech and expression.
Herein lies the problem. Disrespecting our fallen is a heinous and despicable act, but I fear that the punishment will turn out to be pretty feeble. Criminal damage at worst. I doubt public order will stick. Assuming guilt is eventually proven, in cases of war memorial desecrations, the maximum sentence should be applied. Of course, the guidelines will discourage such action, but perhaps we might find a judge brave and patriotic enough.
As for causing offence, I am not allowed to offend anybody, but it is fine if they offend me. Welcome to the 21st century of institutional madness.
Your right, we don’t “Despite being caught on CCTV, Lincolnshire Police have not released any details regarding the description of the male” but every time we see something like this it smacks of suppression of information that might cause ‘civil unrest’, usually involving adherents to the rop.