Commonwealth War Graves Desecrated In Libya

[11SQNLDR]

When I think of all the coalition lives that were lost freeing Libya from Gaddafi's reign, only to see this kind of disgusting and cowardly behaviour it just makes my blood boil.

This incident blew up after the accidental burning of a few copies of the Koran.

[flyjoe180]

I feel sick.

[strikemaster]

SO why did NATO support them? Should have left Gaddafi in charge. A book, a stone, its only an object and I suppose if they got PO'ed about burning a few pages we have no right to have the same reaction to this. I know I'm bigger than that, no matter how much I hate it. Screw em.

[Luther Moore]

I agree Strike! Let them worry about their own country and let them kill each other.The fact that they did that to commonwealth graves because of what a couple a Americans did, just shows how stupid they are.

[ngatimozart]

You can look at it another way. What would the reaction be if it was Christian bibles being burnt? I know that all the bible bashers in teh US would be up in arms over it big time. Just remember that we are looking at another culture through the lens of our own. From what I have read on Defence News and Al Jazheera the US personnel involved will be punished according to the US Code of Military Justice. Apparently a vry senior officer is involved. The burnings are claimed to be accidental. However after 9 or 10 years of fighting in Afganistan & Iraq one would think that it would highly idiotic to burn copies of the Qu'ran, Islams most holist book. I find the desecration of any graves of any culture abhorrent and every culture has it's idiots and those who are easily excited.

[strikemaster]

Sheeple. Worlds full of them. I wouldn't be even the slightest upset if bibles got burnt, mind you.

[Dave Homewood]

What about publications that actually mean something to you? Playboys, or Classic Wings?

[Tony]

Thanks for the sane words ngatimozart.

Unlike some here who don't give a flying phuck about others religious beliefs - "be they rag-heads or godbotherers".
Geez.

As I said in my other post on the CWGC, American forces continue with their ability to screw-up international relations and the rest of the world suffers.

They will send 19 year old kids to a country to (in their words) "kill the enemy" in the name of "Freedom" and as usual, they get their asses whipped!
But show just one nipple on nationwide TV during the singing of the National Anthem........OMG

[chinapilot]

As usual these days we can find 'reasons' for this act...'American policy' etc etc.
Before we start agonizing about how bad we are in the West maybe think why burning a few books justifies this.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109873/Benghazi-Shocking-video-Churchills-Desert-Rats-graves-smashed-rubble-Libyan-rebels.html

You can see that this was an organized attack on these graves with ladders, hammers etc all in hand...not a spontaneous action but some young Muslims vandalizing - no doubt encouraged by the daily dose of hatred the Imams dish out.

[flyjoe180]

The really sad thing about this revenge attack on the Commonwealth War Graves is that the stones are for men who gave their lives fighting Fascism and Nazism. Without them countries like Libya and Egypt may never have had the 'freedom' to choose their own destiny in the way they have, whatever form their eventual government took. Those graves represent men who fought a western-based evil. Their loss of life had nothing to do with fighting Muslim extremists. Can you imagine this happening in Turkey? I can't.

[oggie2620]

I feel really sorry for the CWGC's Libyan employees who had protected and looked after these graves during the crisis and now have had all their hard work destroyed. They must be devastated! When it settles down CWGC will do, as they are intending in Iraq, to go in and sort it all out...

[strikemaster]

Playboy desecration would be a declaration of war, Dave. Honestly tho, books can be reprinted.

I was thinking that too, oggie, a real mess for them. I've emailed the NZH and asked why it hasn't been reported. Aussie news is on to it now that Gillard has made comment. Flyjoe is bang on the money, just shows how short sighted these plonkers are. As I said, Sheeple, not capable of independent thought.

[FlyingKiwi]

Just bare in mind that there's nothing to indicate there was any kind of higher-level organisation involved, and in fact the new Libyan government has publicly denounced the damage - every country has disgruntled and moronic youths, there have been desecrations of Jewish graves here in NZ which had absolutely nothing to do with either the government nor the desires of the everyday Kiwi. Before we start making blanket statements about not supporting the overthrow of Gaddafi because of the actions of some hooligans let's put some perspective on it.

[ams888]

When i heard about the desecration of these graves on the radio this morning, I was very angry. There is a moral line when it comes to respecting and honoring the dead.
There have been some good points made here though.
I don't know if this was to pay back the West for burning the Muslim Quran, but no doubt Muslims feel about their most sacred book, as we do about our war graves.
I don't understand why NATO was burning ANY books in the airbase, and if they had to, why weren't they checking them?
I hope they catch the people who ruined the war graves, just like i hope the people in charge of burning the Quran at that airbase are held accountable for the irreparable damage they've caused.

[strikemaster]

Good point, FK. Maybe they, and we, can move on.

[chinapilot]

Maybe you don't get any news in NZ these days - It's been widely reported that the books were burned as a 'job lot' at a prison where they were being used as code books along with other publications...

( I know that "we all understand what it means" but the spelling in the thread title has been left like that for days now...)

[Dave Homewood]

That was reported here last week Ian. Some people must have missed it? or they watch/listen to the wrong media.

[mumbles]

Mar 5, 2012 18:05:29 GMT 12 FlyingKiwi said:

Just bare in mind that there's nothing to indicate there was any kind of higher-level organisation involved, and in fact the new Libyan government has publicly denounced the damage - every country has disgruntled and moronic youths, there have been desecrations of Jewish graves here in NZ which had absolutely nothing to do with either the government nor the desires of the everyday Kiwi. Before we start making blanket statements about not supporting the overthrow of Gaddafi because of the actions of some hooligans let's put some perspective on it.

+1, agreed. Knee-jerk reactions are easy, but seldom constructive or appropriate.

[Dave Homewood]

All eleven New Zealand headstones in this cemetery have been attacked and damaged, and many are Air Force personnel!!

They are:
Private Hedley James Boult
Flying Officer Hector Hugh Crawford
Flight Sergeant Lorenzo Richard Feasey
Flying Officer William Lynn Kauter
Lance Corporal Arthur Leslie Milne
Sergeant Maurice Reginald Mutton
Lieutenant Hector Alexander McAulay
Flight Sergeant Mitchell Ridland
Aircraftman First Class Thomas Martin Scott
Pilot Officer William George Duncan Thurston
Private Peter Edgar Alfred Vivienne Wardle


This from the NZ Herald:
www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10790395

Libyan grave damage 'heartbreaking'
By Hayden Donnell Updated 2:44 PM Wednesday Mar 7, 2012

Are you related to those buried in the Benghazi War Cemetery?
Email the Herald Newsdesk

Expand An image grab taken from YouTube on March 3, 2012 perportedly shows broken headstones at the Benghazi War Cemetery and the Benghazi British Military Cemetery. Photo / AFPThe desecration of the graves of 11 New Zealand soldiers at a Libyan war cemetery would be "absolutely heartbreaking'' for the families involved, Prime Minister John Key says.

Mobs vandalised dozens of graves at the Benghazi War Cemetery and at the Benghazi British Military Cemetery at the weekend, and the Ministry of Culture and Heritage today confirmed all 11 New Zealand graves at the cemetery were among those damaged.

Video footage showed a mob smashing up headstones and a cross at the cemetery, calling them "dogs''.

Mr Key said the desecration would be "absolutely heartbreaking'' for the families involved.

"The War Graves Commission have made it quite clear that they will restore the damage to those graves.''

Mr Key said it was difficult to protect the graves because they were open to the public to pay their respects.

New Zealanders travelled around the world to pay their respects to lost loved ones, and they would not want the graves to be in a closed-off environment.

Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Chris Finlayson said the act was "most unfortunate''.

"We have people who go and fight for freedom in North Africa and die in the cause of freedom, and this is the way their remains are treated. I think it's disgusting.''

Labour's foreign affairs spokesman Phil Goff, who visited the Commonwealth war graves in Tripoli while on a trip to Libya, said the act was "an absolute disgrace''.

War graves were one way to provide support and encouragement for the families of fallen soldiers, he said.

"Anybody that goes in to desecrate war graves of people who died in service of their country is committing a despicable act.''

Mr Goff said he hoped the Libyan authorities would take action to sanction those responsible.

Local reports said the group comprised Salafists angered by the burning of the Koran at a Nato military base in Afghanistan last month.

The 11 New Zealanders buried in at the Benghazi War Cemetery are: Private Hedley James Boult, Flying Officer Hector Hugh Crawford, Flight Sergeant Lorenzo Richard Feasey, Flying Officer William Lynn Kauter, Lance Corporal Arthur Leslie Milne, Sergeant Maurice Reginald Mutton, Lieutenant Hector Alexander McAulay, Flight Sergeant Mitchell Ridland, Aircraftman First Class Thomas Martin Scott, Pilot Officer William George Duncan Thurston, Private Peter Edgar Alfred Vivienne Wardle.

Libyan authorities have apologised for the desecration of the graves.

Some 1214 Commonwealth troops who died in the north African desert battles of World War II are buried at the Benghazi War Cemetery, where around 200 headstones were damaged.

Of the 1051 identified graves, 851 are those of British troops, with others belonging to Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, South African and Indian servicemen.

Around a quarter of the headstones in the nearby Benghazi British Military Cemetery, which does not contain World War graves, were also damaged.

By Hayden Donnell

[luke6745]

I don't understand why they run around desecrating Christian and Jewish graves when it was those "pigs" who freed them from the Axis powers.