A memorial to murdered PC Yvonne Fletcher is the latest landmark to be targeted by vandals with white paint, as war memorials and a statue were also defaced in London at the weekend, sparking outrage.
Three war memorials and a statue in West London were splattered and smeared with white paint in what some believe was a co-ordinated ‘peace’ protest.
And now the memorial to PC Yvonne Fletcher, who was killed outside in the Libyan embassy in 1984, has been covered in paint, in St James Park, in central London.
Cleaners have begun power-washing war memorials and statues that were covered in paint by ‘mindless’ vandals.
The worst effected was the Royal Air Force bombers command memorial in Green Park, West London, which was targeted by ‘mindless’ individuals who hurled a large amount of white gloss paint over the historic statue on Sunday night.
The shrine in memory of PC Yvonne Fletcher, who was murdered outside the Libyan Embassy in 1984, is thought to be the latest memorial to be targeted by vandals with white paint. Pictured: Stock image of the memorial in St James Square in central London
Specialist clean-up workers use high pressure steam to clean the paint vandals squirted over the Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park
The clean-up operation is expected to take at least a day. The £7million war memorial has been targeted by vandals four times since it was unveiled by the Queen in June 2012
The memorial features seven air crew and was built to commemorate the sacrifice of 55,573 airmen who lost their lives serving in Bomber Command during the Second World War
The memorial, which costs £40,000-a-year to maintain, features seven air crew and was built to commemorate the sacrifice of 55,573 airmen who lost their lives serving in Bomber Command during the Second World War.
Resolute RAF members have vowed not to put a protective fence around the memorial, insisting it will remain a monument ‘for the people’.
David Murray, Air Vice-Marshal at the Royal Air Force Benevolent fund, who maintain the monument said: ‘I wasn’t so much angry but disappointed at the distress that’s been caused to the veterans, their families and the wider British public.
‘We’ve got people in this country who think it’s clever to wonder round in the early hours of this morning throwing paint around. It’s not about the monument itself it’s about what it represents.
‘It represents 55,000 men who died to give us freedom and if that’s the way that some people think we should treat them then there’s something wrong.
‘We know it happened overnight or early morning, it would have been dark. It’s the fourth time it’s happened in six years. On at least two occasions previously the culprit was taken to court and punished.
‘We don’t know timings yet but what we’re focusing on at the moment is getting the specialist cleaning team in to get the mural sorted out.
‘We look after 55,000 veterans a year from the RAF family.
‘I’ve been hearing from gentlemen this morning who are in their nineties and were in bomber command. They remember their mates who died and the freedom they gave us.
‘They are devastated by this – it’s a complete lack of respect.’
The £7million war memorial has been targeted by vandals four times since it was unveiled by the Queen in June 2012.
David Murray, Air Vice-Marshal at the Royal Air Force Benevolent fund, who maintain the monument said: ‘I wasn’t so much angry but disappointed at the distress that’s been caused to the veterans and their families’
White paint thrown over the Bomber Command War Memorial in Green Park, London
A similar vandalism also occurred over the weekend to The Allies Statue of Winston Churchill in Franklin D. Roosevelt on close by New Bond Street
The Graspan Royal Marines Memorial in The Mall, erected in memory of all the troops who have died in conflict, was also daubed with white paint last night
But the RAF have vowed not to let vandals ruin the statue for others.
Mr Murray said: ‘We will not be putting up a fence, no way. This was built for the people by the people and will remain that way. It’s a lot worse than the other times, it’s a lot of paint that’s been thrown around.
‘Previously there were words written and so on, this is just wanton vandalism. The clean-up will be in the thousands this time, we spend about £40,000 a year maintaining the monument.
‘We are a charity and have to raise the money to maintain it but this is about respect. We don’t know if it is related to the other two statues that have been vandalised this weekend.
‘Others can make their mind up about that, one for the police to sort out.’
White paint has been hurled across the Canada Memorial, which commemorates all Canadians killed during the First and Second World Wars
Police are investigating CCTV from the memorial and surrounding area.
A similar vandalism also occurred over the weekend to The Allies Statue of Winston Churchill in Franklin D. Roosevelt on close by New Bond Street, and they are also set to be cleaned today.
Canada Memorial in Green Park, which remembers the Canadian Forces who died in the first and second world wars was also damaged with paint over the weekend.
The Royal Marines Memorial in The Mall was left with a smear of white paint over the names of the dead.