Protests in Opposition to Her Majesty's Government's political position in relation to the Israeli campaign in Lebanon in August 2006 
Signage.
A disrespectful political use of the Cenotaph, mercifully largely unreported by the press.
Signage.
A disrespectful political use of the Cenotaph, mercifully largely unreported by the press.
posted by Ian Blaney at 3:34 PM
2 Comments:
on the contrary, i think thats an excellent political use of the cenotaph which was sadly under-reported by the press.
Mercifully however, the internet is a great democracy and your blog has brought this wonderful protest to my attention.
All hail the internet and reclaiming the streets!!!
I think that it is (a little) ‘dangerous’ to use a memorial like the Cenotaph for political purposes.
The Cenotaph was erected a year or two after the first world war, replacing a temporary structure, and those passing it in the first decade or so, would doff their caps in respect of the dead, the emotional and intellectual resonances being so strong. Although the passage of time means that the significance of the Cenotaph as a memorial to the war dead is not so strong, I am one who thinks we still owe a debt to those who died in both of the wars. You may disagree with this, and in which case I can understand why you have said what you have.
Of course, the Cenotaph is a political object. Although, it looks like a monolith and its inscription says very little, when it asks us to remember the dead, I think that it still intends us to do so in such a way believing that their sacrifice was necessary and for the good, rather than a 'pointless' waste.
I would hope that there is still enough feeling (and thinking) in this country to keep the memorial as a symbol of sacrifice for the good, and to respect it in that sense. I think that many of the tens of thousands of died, and by default, all those who were left behind, would be happy with this specific meaning for the monument.
On the day of these protests against Israeli action in Lebanon, I saw many different sorts of persons assembling in Parliament Square. There were members of the Stop the War (ie Afghanistan, Iraq etc.) coalition, pensioner pacifists, the sort of Muslim fundamentalists who are of the opinion that the September 11 attacks were a justifiable act, Marxists, anarchists etc. etc..
The point(s) of view(s) of these protesters would not represent the views of all those who are commemorated at the Cenotaph, nor everyone in the country. As citizens of the UK we do not have the right to use public property in any way we choose to make a political point. You may agree with the protesters' argument(s), and indeed so may I, but we do not have an unlimited right to conduct those stunts which may offend others. Additionally, it is necessary to have some boundaries in a democracy (eg the floor of the House of Commons should not have been invaded by anti-hunting protestors). Would you have been happy if the Cenotaph had been used as a focal point for a war rally instead? Would that have been more disrespectful or not? There are two arguments
1. The Cenotaph is a significant monument which should be respected, ergo if my cause is significant and just also I should use it to promote it
NO - this argument relies us all believing the same causes are just. This is not so.
2. The Cenotaph is NOT a significant monument which be respected (or at least, not in one way). This means that it does not matter who uses it as a platform
NO - there are still people like me who revere the Cenotaph so I and others might be offended
People are always looking for a 'platform' in order to captivate the media. I understand that this is in some way a necessary evil, if the cause is believed to be just.
I hope that I have not conflated too many issues.
I do not think that my blog will publicise this stunt at all. There are so many blogs out there, that they do not necessarily demonstrate a well articulated democracy, but instead a thousand voices in a crowded room. Some blogs have been much read and do appear through all the noise. This is not the purpose of my blog, I write it just for my friends, and I hope that it will not carry further.
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