France Desecrates Allied Graves (again)

(UK) Times

[leilani]

April 02, 2003

One in three French backs Saddam By Charles Bremner and Alan Hamilton

ILL-FEELING between Britain and France over the invasion of Iraq has plumbed new depths with the desecration of that most sacred of memorials, a war cemetery. The defilement of Commonwealth war graves in northern France coincided with a poll for The Times which found that 54 per cent of Britons no longer regarded France as a close ally because of its opposition to the war.

Relations will be further rent by a second poll, in Le Monde, showing that only a third of the French felt that they were on the same side as the Americans and British, and that another third desired outright Iraqi victory over “les anglo-saxons”.

Eleven thousand Allied soldiers lie buried in well-tended peace at Etaples, on the Channel coast near Le Touquet, victims of the struggle by Anglo-Saxons to liberate the French from the German invaders during the First World War.

Last week the obelisk raised in their memory was defiled by red-painted insults such as “Rosbeefs go home”; “May Saddam prevail and spill your blood”; and, in a reference to the long-dead casualties beneath the manicured turf, “They are soiling our land”.

Local gendarmerie have launched an inquiry, but have so far found no clues. They say there had been no significant demonstrations against the war in that area of France.

The graffiti have been scrubbed off, but the incident has provoked outrage among British politicians, war graves staff and the few remaining relatives of those buried at Etaples. French politicians have joined the condemnation.

Bruce George, Labour chairman of the Commons Defence Committee, said: “Remembering what sacrifice these men made for the liberation of France, I cannot believe any mature, sane person would be so stupid as that.”

David Uffold, 63, a Shropshire farmer, is the only surviving relative of Rifleman Frederick Uffold of the London Regiment, who is buried at Etaples. “I find it sickening that anyone would vandalise the cemetery,” he said. “It is the last place they should be protesting about Iraq. These fellows were drafted in to fight for France. I can’t see any connection between the men buried at Etaples and the war in Iraq.”

Peter Francis, of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, said he was disgusted that a place remembering those who died defending freedom in world wars long ago should be dragged into a current political debate.

French politicians did their best to portray the desecration as an isolated act, but it nonetheless underlined anti-American and anti-British emotions running through France over what is seen there as a bungled invasion rapidly turning into a humanitarian disaster.

President Chirac’s spokesman said: “We are indignant and shocked by the desecration of the graves of soldiers who fought for our liberty.” Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the Prime Minister, said: “The Americans are not the enemy; just because we are against this war, it does not mean that we want the victory of dictatorship over democracy.”

[leilani]

The headline on this article, and the Drudge link, was a bit misleading, to say the least. It seems that France has irretrievably abandoned any pretence of belonging to the brotherhood of civilised nations and, once again,has put all of its eggs in the basket of yet another egomaniacal genocidal fasist dictator. Whaddyawanna bet once the bullets stop flying, and Jacques Chirac's fingerprints are found on the vials of ricin scattered around Baghdad elementary schools, that these sorry excuses for human beings try to tell the rest of the world that they really, really, did belong to "The Resistance", just like the last time. (Fool me once....)

[taxcontrol]

I would LOVE Bush to publicly order the Dept of Vet Affairs to create a plan to bring our boys home from French soil.

The diplomatic stir would be GREAT to see.

[Desecrated]

Let's see, you got your butt whipped twice in one century on your home turf, captiulated to the most evil tyrant in all of history, resisted allied forces in Algeria, shot at them when they were arriving to liberate your country and you still get a seat on the winners side of the table.

American tolerance for the French playing both sides of the fence came to an end September 11, 2001. Sorry boys, you are on the wrong side of the table AGAIN.

[libertarian guy]

[quote]Relations will be further rent by a second poll, in Le Monde, showing that only a third of the French felt that they were on the same side as the Americans and British, and that another third desired outright Iraqi victory over “les anglo-saxons”.[/quote]

Oi vey, this part makes me pretty ill.

[Ippolita]

Next stop Paris.

[TommyDale]

This is okay, let the French continue to desecrate our fallen heroes. Next time, their cemeteries will be full of French, because no one else will come to their aid.

[The Gunner]

These men belong in Arlington, anyway!!!!!

[Mr. Mojo]

poll,...showing that only a third of the French felt that they were on the same side as the Americans and British,

In my household, 100% of those polled desire to see our American war dead in French cemetaries brought home.

[GulfWar1Vet]

Amen! Bring our boys home to Arlington!

France has no honor, no respect for our boys who LIBERATED their scrawny butts.

They sure don't remember their history very well, do they?

[Mr. Mojo]

"just because we are against this war, it does not mean that we want the victory of dictatorship over democracy.” - Chiraq

Try convincing 33% of your populace, Jacques.

[leilani]

I really can't see anyone from any country in their right mind risking one ounce of blood or one coin of wealth to protect these fascist freaks ever again. They may not realize it, but Algerian militants could take over the Palais Elysee tomorrow, and the rest of the civilised world will now just shrug their shoulders and say thay those filthy nazi "frogs" got what they deserved: what goes around, comes around.Let's face it: they are all a bunch of crooked, self-serving cowards who have forfeited the right to walk amongst the civilized peoples of this planet. NO ONE will ever forget this. (Algerians: have at 'em! - the Louvre might actually look OK with a minaret on top, come to think of it.)

[VMI70]

Whew! So, tell us how you really feel!
Well said, though.

If the frogs keep screwing around, the Brits will go over and kick their butts (again).

[leilani]

And at least the coffee on the Boul' Mich' would be a hell of a lot better! How do you say aurevoir, mes freres in Algerian?

[Dubh_Ghlase]

Cool heads folks! Cool heads!

Remember, France is already infected with the islamic 5th column that already consider France their own. It is most likely that the vandalism was caused by these islamic immigrants and not the native French people.

There are too many 'wolves in sheeps clothing', trying to manufacture conflicts through disinformation and subtrafuge. Just look at what our troops are facing! They have an extreme time of it distinguishing friend and non-combatant from foe.

Know your enemy....

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

three French

[BlueLancer]

"Know your enemy...."

France, Belgium, and Germany.

[grumple]

Who will France side with when all their allies have been destroyed....Iraq..then Iran...then Syria...this list could go on and on....

[Centurion2000]

. Next time, their cemeteries will be full of French, because no one else will come to their aid.

A merciless enemy will torch the french bodies .... why respect their dead if you didn't respect them enough to not invade them?

Let that whole country burn up and blow away as ashes.

[Roughneck]

#14

It may be true that islamists in France did the vandalism. That does not explain chirac or the French people. After all, they allow the terrorists free reign in their country, and in fact embrace them (far as I can tell).

If an islamists did the dirty work to those graves, it is the SAME as the if a frenchwoman had done it (note: frenchwoman not typo: there are no french MEN)

[leilani]

What FIFTH COLUMN? You've got every single (non-islamic) blue-eyed blonde member of the French government (who Saddam Hussein himself has said are all on his payroll)stabbing western allies in the back to prop up a genocidal tyrant. Who needs a 5th column when the First one is turning it's back against its own principles of 'liberte et egalite' and carrying the spear against civilized nations? No, sorry, I am of french heritage, but even I ain't buying the ludicrous notion that it's only because all those poor average french citizens are so cowed by all the algerian immigrants in their midst that they would abandon all allegiance to humanity. Uh uh.