Update (08/17/2016, 11:30 a.m.): London’s Metropolitan Police Service has provided a statement on the enforcement of park regulations.
Veterans are upset at the public’s use of the Canada Memorial in London’s Green Park.
The monument was erected by Queen Elizabeth in 1994 in remembrance of the Canadian men and women who fought alongside British forces in both world wars.
Designed by sculptor Pierre Garache, the granite and bronze memorial is fashioned as two angled slabs with water trickling down each one.
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Photos appearing on social media show scores of people, mostly children, climbing on the monument and splashing in the water to cool off from summertime temperatures, despite signs posted around the memorial that read: “As a mark of respect please keep off the monument.”
In an interview with The Daily Mail, British veteran Peter Allen called the sight “an outrageous desecration.”
A Royal Parks spokesperson told Global News, “It is against 4.4 of the Royal Parks regulations to climb or interfere with any monument or statue.”
“In terms of our park managers or contractors that may see people climbing the memorial – they can tell them to stop and explain to them that it’s disrespectful, but they can’t make them move. Only police can do that,” she said.
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London’s Metropolitan Police Service said they have a dedicated unit that patrols the Royal Parks but have not received any specific complaints.
“We take very seriously any incidents of mistreatment of the memorials in the royal parks and if police catch anyone doing so, they will enforce park regulations accordingly,” said a police spokesperson.
Michael Lovett, a resident of Milton Keynes, tweeted his displeasure to the Royal Parks but said he did not receive any follow-up and doesn’t recall seeing anyone enforcing the park regulations.
https://twitter.com/Mitchtrix/status/758193767845359616
“As you can see, quite a number of people are using the memorial as a slide,” Lovett told Global News. “There were signs around the memorial stating to not enter it, etc. But I’m not sure many of the families playing in it have English as their first language.”
“A memorial means so much about those who gave everything to ensure we had the freedoms. I’m not sure sliding down it as a water slide is the right way [to engage with it],” said Lovett.
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According to Royal Parks, the monument is property of the Canadian government and is managed by Veterans Affairs.
Royal Parks also said that rules for conduct around a specific monument may be changed if the directive comes from the monument’s owner or manager.
When presented with the idea of allowing for more public engagement with the Canada Memorial, a spokesperson for Veterans Affairs said:
“The Canada Memorial is a solemn but powerful reminder of what Canadians accomplished and sacrificed for all of us. We remind visitors that memorials are special places and ask them to remain respectful when visiting monuments, war memorials, and other sacred landmarks.”
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