Five Men Surrender Themselves for Arrest Over Grenfell Video

06/11/2018

Click the image of Grenfell Tower to read BBC News article

People across the country have been appalled at the despicable actions of a group of people who made a model of Grenfell Tower and burned it as an effigy in their bonfire as part of their Guy Fawkes Night celebrations. A video showing their disgusting behaviour has been posted on social media and drawn fierce criticism from multiple quarters.

London Fire Commissioner Dany Cotton said the actions could not in any way be justified, saying "To intentionally use and mock the Grenfell Tower fire in this way will cause deep pain and offence to the bereaved, survivors, the local community and all of the emergency services who will never forget that night."

Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy released a statement on Monday, saying he was "appalled by the callous nature" of the video. "To mock that disaster in such a crude way is vile. I can't imagine the distress this video will undoubtedly cause to bereaved families and survivors."

A member of the Justice For Grenfell campaign group, Moyra Samuels, spoke of the outrage of ordinary decent people who actually saw it for what it was. She told BBC Breakfast it was "We have no doubt that there are actually decent, generous people across Britain and this actual act doesn’t represent ordinary British people. But there is a worrying rise of racism in this country at the moment. And that is concerning, because it’s now starting to impact on us directly, you know, which means that we actually need to be thinking what we do about this, and how we respond to this as a whole."

Sadly, some of those remarking on the comments page of the news stories are sharing far more unpleasant views on the situation. Whether it was comparing this crime to the appalling tragedy of 14 June 2017, or even worse, spouting racial and xenophobic hatred about the original victims of the tragedy, hate and bigotry have risen to the fore again. These comments included:

"It didn't bother The U.K. Government though when the Real One Burned and all those People got Killed, because of something (The Cladding) the Government never should have let be installed on it."

J.J.-King-Java-is-a-Psycho-Zionist

"The game is very simple the ruling elites create these dramas to remove from focus the real issues facing the country"

S Balu

"I understand why these people did that video and I don't blame them for it and I don't think they should receive any punishment for it. As a Pakistani, I say Punjabis are scum. I found the story and the video of the Grenfell tower fire, where many of these scumbags burned to death, very satisfying. The "racism" and Islamaphobia in the UK is mainly directed at Punjabis. A hostile environment has been created for these scumbags, and I think the hostile environment for them should become much worse. I feel soo ashamed to be a Paki because of Punjabis."

"I wouldn't have had a problem considering myself as a Pakistani if the Punjabis weren't traitorous, but because of the Punjabis being traitorous scum, I ashamed to be a Paki, I don't consider myself as a Paki, and I consider myself as an Afghan instead."

"Low class people who didn't belong in the UK got burn't to death. They should have stayed in their country."

Pashtun

I sincerely hope those who have posted the most unpleasant comments, in particular Pashtun who posted the last three comments above, are found and prosecuted for their hateful words.

Just My Opinion

The tragedy of Grenfell Towers is still a heavy weight on our society, all the more so because of the ongoing delays in getting survivors into their new homes and in getting answers through the enquiry.  Indeed, the very fact that survivors are going through the turmoil of giving evidence to the enquiry at the same time as this news is awful for those involved.

I do not know what the appropriate punishment will be for the individuals behind this callous and stupid act, but there definitely should be punishment.