Red for respect

It was the day before Remembrance Sunday when I arrived in London and I had already decided not to attend the ceremony at the Cenotaph. From what I have seen on the television, thousands of people congregate to pay their respects, and it was unlikely that I would be able to get close enough for a good view of the ceremony.

However I did go the following day, when there were just a few people taking photographs, so here are three photo's of the Cenotaph.

I also went to see the poppies at Westminster, there were thousands of them. There were red carpets laid out on the grass so you could walk along the rows and read all the names. It was a very moving experience to walk silently for a few minutes and reflect on all the family and friends who had remembered their fallen loved ones.

Just across the road people have set up a protest camp. High fences have been erected around the grass to stop them getting on to it, so they have put up their tents on the pavement. Goodness knows how they are managing to sleep with the traffic whizzing past a few feet away from them.

I have nothing against people protesting in an orderly fashion if they feel strongly about an issue, but I think this is very disrespectful to the families and comrades of our dead soldiers, when it is sited so close to the Remembrance Gardens. It's like saying your sons and daughters have died for nothing. It's the politicians that the protesters are trying to get their message across to, not the visitors. The police should have removed it during this sensitive and emotional time.