Remembering Lee Rigby

[astrologica]

It is five years since Lee Rigby was brutally murdered on a public highway, and in broad daylight. An uffocial memorial for him has been removed by Greenwich council, for being 'unsightly'. A reporter for LBC went to Woolwich and asked local people if they know of Lee Rigby. Astonishingly....more than half said they had never heard of him. Seems like Woolwich wants to forget Lee, a serving soldier , a young man whose life was brutally ended.

Meanwhile..they have awarded Stephen Lawrence a public memorial, and an Annual Stephen Lawrence Day, to make sure he is never forgotten. 

Today , I am remembering Lee, and his Service in our Armed Forces.

[Anonymous]

I remembered the story now Astro, but to be honest I woudn't have if you had not posted about it.

Sadly there will always be injustice somewhere.

On the afternoon of 22 May 2013, a British Army soldier, Fusilier Lee Rigby of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was attacked and killed by Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, southeast London.

RIP Lee Rigby

[023mjc]

I think most people will remember the appalling incident, but will have forgotten his name.  I remember it because I know someone with a very similar name so it stuck in my mind, but I must admit ( to my shame)I don't remember the names of most other terrorism victims. Greenwich council should think again.  RIP Lee.

[fallen-archie]

I remember it and his name, just as I do that of Yvonne Fletcher! I could probably name many of those killed at Hillsboro, and of course there was Steven Lawrence! Right now the Grenfell Tower relatives are giving evidence to the public inquiry, so far they have all been model citizens loved by everyone and leaving behind extended families of devastated people. I cannot help wondering how we coped during the two world wars when so many lives were lost and everyone lived in fear of a telegram, life inevitably leads to death, no one wants to be taken before their time but we aren’t able to define our death unless we can afford to go to a Swiss clinic! I will not be remembered other than through my children which is fine by me, for some remembrance is of major importance but all I would ask is this, is it the person you remember or the manner of there death?

[margaret*e]

The Stephen Lawrence case reminds me of the Madeleine McCann case, both tragic cases, but why are they more important than any other missing child/ murder victims.

 I remember his name and the event well, my grandson was in the army then.

[astrologica]

Archie..I want to remember Lee Rigby as a fine young man, who served his Queen and country. I would like to be able to forget the manner in which he lost his life, but unfortunately the photograph of his murderer , standing in the street, holding a knife, with poor Lee's blood dripping from his hands, was so horrific..it will stay with me forever. What a contrast between Lee, the soldier, and his hateful murderers, high on Cannabis and full of Radical Muslim bile. Those two foul creatures deserved to hang.

The contrast between the Lee Rigby and Stephen Lawrence cases are plain to see.  Stephen Lawrence gets a public memorial, an annual Memorial Day and his mother gets raised to the House of Lords. Lee Rigby gets a condolence book in a nearby chapel, and his unofficial memorial removed because it is 'unsightly'. Woolwich Council would be very happy if he is forgotten. I hope those who do remember him will be replacing his unofficial memorial.

[astrologica]

I intended to add...there are no prizes for correctly guessing which party runs Greenwich (and Woolwich) Council.

[post-and-alpacaging]

I hadn't realised Lee Rigby's murder was on the same day (4 years earlier) as the Manchester bombing

[upthecreekyetagain]

The contrast between the Lee Rigby and the Stephen Lawrence case has little to do with the victims but the way in which the police dealt with the two cases, the way in which police attempted to smear the Lawrence family, the time it took for the murderers to face any form of justice and the resulting reforms that came from the case.

[aernethril]

I think it was the right decision to remove the unofficial memorial and it seems that it was both at the request of his family and because it had become a shrine for Far Right activists.

The irony of them threatening council workers and making death threats is truly appalling.

There has been a decision to install a plaque at St George's Garrison Church opposite the barracks.. Not at the sight where he was murdered, but at least his name is honoured in public not that far from it.

bbc.co.uk/news

I personally feel that a simple plaque where he fell would have been better, but clearly it would have only continued as a very unwelcome rallying point for the violent nutters, most of whom I doubt are anything to do with the area or the barracks and armed services unit to which he belonged and who couldn't care less about him or his family.

The issue with Stephen Lawrence is partly, as already mentioned, one of how very wrong the police got the investigation, the treatment of the family etc and also reflects that he becomes more of the symbol of all that is still wrong with our society.

So to have the day set in his name should become the day that all those victims of racial violence are remembered and we have pause for thought to consider whether the police are still getting things very wrong - as they are in so many ways, not to mention our justice system.

I was undecided about memorials in general as I first started to think about this;  should a plaque should be placed whereever anyone has been murdered?  The problem with this is that whilst it is there as a reminder to all about a senseless and brutal loss of life at the hands of others, where does it end if you include domestic murders etc?

I'm not against them by any means and perhaps there should be more simple plaques to honour those killed on duty?

Yet even then, people walk past / over memorial plaques and never give them a glance or second thought, so perhaps the memories must be firmly kept and honoured by those who care.

[j_uk643]

On 1 September 2014, Lee Rigby was honoured at a ceremony in Staffordshire, with his name added to the Armed Forces Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum.

A memorial to Lee Rigby in his home town of Middleton, Greater Manchester, consisting of a bronze drum and a plaque, was unveiled on 29 March 2015

Lee Rigby's name appears on a plaque on the south wall of the memorial garden inside the ruined St George's Garrison Church in Woolwich, opposite the Royal Artillery Barracks. The memorial consists of a white marble plaque marking Woolwich's history as a barracks town, and two bronze plaques with the names of 11 men who served or lived in Woolwich and gave their lives in the service of their country, including Lee Rigby and the victims of the 1974 King's Arms bombing nearby

In April 2016 Lee Rigby's family stated, in relation to calls for a memorial: "There is a permanent memorial to Lee at St George's Chapel in Woolwich, which is what we wanted"

They also made a plea for his memory not to be used to further others agenda
It's a shame that for some, that plea fell on deaf ears

[vamo48]

I agree, you can't put a plaque up for every murder victim, war victim etc,  or there would be too many plaques, sadly.  Maybe Lee Rigby's name should be added to his nearest local War Memorial instead, him being a serving soldier.  

As for missing children, mentioned in a previous post, it seems journalists decide who gets the most publicity and makes the best story.  Where there is a chance of finding them, they all deserve attention.