Covid memorial is vandalised again
A memorial bench dedicated to frontline workers who died during the pandemic was vandalized with the word 'killers' over Easter, marking the second attack on the memorial. The bench and a nearby plaque and oak tree were previously damaged. Local officials condemned the act and are arranging repairs.
Vandals struck a pandemic memorial in Shaw over Easter weekend, scrawling the word “killers” across the rainbow emblem on a bench dedicated to frontline NHS staff who died during Covid-19.
The bench is part of a tribute erected in November 2020 to honour doctors and nurses who worked through the crisis. Red paint now obliterates the memorial’s colourful logo, marking the second attack in a month after a nearby plaque and oak tree were smashed in March.
Marc Hince, councillor for Shaw, condemned the graffiti as a deliberate assault on those who risked their lives. “It’s absolutely appalling. This is clearly a targeted attack,” he said. “My local doctor sadly passed away during the pandemic and my wife was frontline NHS personnel. This bench is to commemorate their sacrifices. To brand them as ‘killers’ when everyone who worked on the frontline put themselves at risk for the public, is simply unacceptable.”
Shaw and Crompton Town Council has begun arranging replacements for the damaged plaque and tree and is seeking a safe method to remove the paint. The memorial was unveiled last autumn with nurses from Royal Oldham Hospital, including Rachel Diskin, who cared for Covid patients throughout the outbreak. “We had days where at times we couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel,” she recalled at the dedication, “but as a team we supported each other and got through it together.”
Source: Read original article