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The Lancashire Telegraph
News, sport and entertainment from all over East Lancashire
Outrage as yobs burn Blackburn church cross (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Outrage as yobs burn Blackburn church cross
11:30am Friday 9th November 2012 in News By Sophia Rahman, Reporter
DISMAY Church warden George Harrison examines the remains of the cross
VANDALS have set fire to a 10-foot cross stolen from a church’s garage.
Community leaders said they were ‘disgusted’ and ‘outraged’ that yobs had burnt the wooden cross on land close to Holy Trinity C of E Church in Blackburn. The cross, which was burnt on a bonfire, has been used for more than 30 years in the Good Friday procession from Little Harwood to Larkhill.
Police said a gang of youths ransacked the outbuilding connected to the church’s worship centre, also stealing a mattress, ladder and other household items.
Officers said they did not believe the incident was racially or religiously motivated.
Rev Ron Mulligan, who leads the congregation at Holy Trinity, said: “It’s just mindless vandalism. This is not the first time it has happened but it seems to be the way society is going nowadays.”
Other attacks on the church recently include broken windows, holes being punched in doors, arson attacks and a scooter driven into the church.
Long serving church warden George Harrison, who has worshipped at Holy Trinity for 70 years, raised the alarm after discovering the church’s garage door broken on Tuesday morning.
He said: “They seem to have done this maliciously, because this time they have smashed the door to smithereens.
“Most of us travel from far and wide to worship at Holy Trinity. We are trying to keep the place in existence and when these types of things happen it’s so disheartening.
“It’s unlikely that we will replace the cross and the Easter march between the various churches in the neighbourhood will probably be disbanded too.
“I don’t even think our insurance will cover the cost of a new door for the garage because we’ve had so many attacks now. We want to get a steel one to better safeguard the worship centre.”
Mr Harrison said a new door would cost £600 but the church was only likely to get £200 from its insurance.
The extra money will have to come from the church’s funds, provided by the congregation.
Glynis Scott, the manager of nearby Bowden Court sheltered housing scheme, said: “Groups of teenagers are always hanging around here.
“We have had a lot of vandalism at the local school and the church.
“I think it is disgusting. You do see police around but never when it’s happening.
“I now worry for some of the older people here who are in their 90’s because they are always doing things close to the home.”
Little Harwood Coun Abdul Patel said: “I am really shocked that someone has broken into church property and stolen items to burn, especially a cross.
“This should not be happening. In my view if anyone takes anything from anywhere without permission that is bad but from a church it is really bad.”
Coun Mike Lee, opposition leader on Blackburn Council, said: “It is a real shame, especially when a church cannot go a few days with incident.
“People no longer seem afraid of the consequences of their actions.
“They are given ASBOs and nothing is done even if they break the ASBO 25 times.
“No one has respect for other people’s property anymore.”
Police have now launched an investigation into the incident.
Insp Abid Khan, of Blackburn police, said: “We are investigating a report of the theft of a number of items from a garage in Larkhill Blackburn, which included a large cross.
“Whilst these inquiries are at an early stage it would be disappointing to find that this was anything other than young children being mischievous and finding wood for a bonfire.
“I would ask anyone who may have been in the area and may have seen anything suspicious to come forward and contact police.”
Anyone with information should call police on 101.
Comments are closed on this article.
Comments (50)
12:02pm Fri 9 Nov 12
jennyspain says...
12:12pm Fri 9 Nov 12
shytalk says...
12:28pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Scooby says...
12:45pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Major Tom says...
Make another.
12:50pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Info-warrior says...
12:52pm Fri 9 Nov 12
nearly sane says...
1:51pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Mike Oxsore says...
2:10pm Fri 9 Nov 12
useyourhead says...
-
still out of order to suffer this but I do think they are over egging a little, talking about dis.banding and such is a little melodramatic.
2:25pm Fri 9 Nov 12
611b says...
2:40pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Scooby says...
Besides, I'm sure it want religiously motivated, wood just burns well! We had a fridge on the bonfire where I live, sure there's no religions that worship fridges??
3:19pm Fri 9 Nov 12
sen c ble says...
3:57pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Carl_24 says...
4:06pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Ex_Darwen_Tech says...
4:36pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Rishtonian says...
5:07pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Libra1 says...
Reading the report also suggests that most church goers are from the older generation - another sign of the times. This cross is not merely two pieces of wood but a religious symbol and also 30 years old . The police should do everything to catch the culprits and punish them
5:10pm Fri 9 Nov 12
M Foster says...
5:10pm Fri 9 Nov 12
logie28 says...
How about the "Community leaders" asking their people to dig deep and donate towards putting right what the Community has put wrong.
Work together, bring both communities closer, not destroying holy and sacred property. Install a little education and respect !
At this rate, Blackburn will soon be finished......Pathet
ic.
5:18pm Fri 9 Nov 12
sen c ble says...
6:10pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Legal Beagle says...
Ins Abid Khan says: " ... it would be disappointing to find that this was anything other than young children being mischievous and finding wood for a bonfire. "
I have to say that Insp Abid Khan's definition of `mischievous' is rather different than mine.
6:13pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Davelyn says...
If this has been carried out by white youths they should be jaied for 5 years
for trying to incriminate Asians. However if Asians did this then we should diport them and there families to Afganistan and let them see what they can do against our troops.
6:25pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Davelyn says...
WE SHALL SEE.
Anyone want to bet they never catch them.
7:14pm Fri 9 Nov 12
eco/pendle says...
7:18pm Fri 9 Nov 12
McAbsent says...
It states it's not 'believed' to be racially or religiously motivated. It's not the outcome but based-suspicions.
It's for a bonfire, hardly going to be Muslims trying to abuse the Christian faith.
7:23pm Fri 9 Nov 12
McAbsent says...
7:44pm Fri 9 Nov 12
sen c ble says...
Ha Ha Ha.
8:20pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Excluded again says...
8:33pm Fri 9 Nov 12
M Foster says...
You seem to be confusing the issue of Christianity and their regard for Jesus, with that of the rise of atheism and agnostic/lack of religiosity in this country - which is partially why the churches are emptying. The other reason perhaps being a cultural assault on the established religion and identity of this country - and how Christianity, in the eyes of some of its traditional adherents, has often been hijacked to fulfill a different agenda to traditional Christian beliefs in this country.
Seeing as you are an expert on religion, you should already know that the remaining Christians who do uphold their faith are not required to go to a place of worship in order to practice that faith. They can pray privately - and are not compelled to perform daily rituals in the ways that Muslims are. Going to pray in a building does NOT make a person a true Christian or a lesser one for not doing so. It is taught that it is not WHERE you pray, but HOW you pray and WHO you pray to that matters. Like it or not, Christianity and Islam are today the most numerous and fastest growing religions globally. Together they encompass more than half of humanity and therefore need to develop MUTUAL respect.
But this religious quibble is nothing to do with the desecration of a place of worship, however it is a sad fact that Muslims around the world have previously burnt churches down to the ground and/or converted them into mosques as a sign of their conquest or dominance over another's country and traditional cultures.
The capacity or frequency of the church use has no bearing on the crime. I have seen enough troubles with Muslims around the world to be suspicious of who the perpetrators might have been – even if they were just youths and, although I may be wrong, it does fit the usual Modus Operandi.
Instead of addressing the serious issues I raised concerning the actions of people sharing the same faith as you may do, you just attempt to distract from them.
8:46pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Ex_Darwen_Tech says...
Reminds me of an old saying, "Going to Church on a sunday doesn't make one a Christian. (Apply the same to Mosque.) Neither does standing in my garage make me a motor car!"
9:15pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Mike Oxsore says...
9:20pm Fri 9 Nov 12
sen c ble says...
Rather than what you do all week at home, in order to worship is what you do when all come together Sunday mornings at 8 in a sacred place, sacred time, focused on worship without minds being worldy diverted.
Regardless how one would view Jesus, for musleems to acknowledge Jesus as a prophet as well as their own is evident the love and respect they have for Jesus even though they will dispute no human can be God's children, and if so the greatness of God would be questioned. If we are all God's creation , then we are all God's children and Moses, Noaah and Adam before us!
The reality that Musleems have continued to adhere to the rules and examples of the Koran and not simply to suit oneself, which many Chritsians have done in every aspect hence why distancing from the bible and the church, and the continuation will cause embarrassment which eventually will lead to being driven astray.
9:27pm Fri 9 Nov 12
sen c ble says...
10:16pm Fri 9 Nov 12
woolywords says...
someone here complained that my comments were a bit too close to home... therefore bigot,racist, derogatory and offensive.
If I were the Church Warden, I'd pick up the bits, nail them together, get a few parishoners behind you, for a singsong..
A bearded man, in a shift, dragging an old wooden cross, through this town might evoke or elicit some spare coins..
I'd do it, as long as Sen C. Ble carries my bucket, to prove there is no discord between me and him, me and my religeons, our own faiths and them, the terrorists.
To show that, no matter what they do in the name of religeons, we love peace, me and him.
I'd walk that mile, barefoot.
It's not a mile between the Cathedral and Larkhill, work out my route...include some muslim areas..
Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone..' John 8. 7
I will stand the stones and spitting, without a Police presence, just to show that it can be done..
You phone Sgt. John Rigby, he's got a medal for solving racial issuses, I have the gonads to show that it can be done..
Am going to give him my number,are you?
A Muslim, carrying a collecting box, on behalf of a Christian, is a great leap of faiths.....
Dare to be different..
in the name of peace.
11:44pm Fri 9 Nov 12
abdullah says...
12:08am Sat 10 Nov 12
hairy mary says...
2:43am Sat 10 Nov 12
Mercedez says...
4:26am Sat 10 Nov 12
sen c ble says...
8:51am Sat 10 Nov 12
jack daniels says...
8:52am Sat 10 Nov 12
AnthonyUK says...
10:53am Sat 10 Nov 12
Bill Carson says...
10:54am Sat 10 Nov 12
Bill Carson says...
11:51am Sat 10 Nov 12
jack daniels says...
12:36pm Sat 10 Nov 12
norah bhatty says...
To steal a cross is the work of nasty individual(s) - if someone stole or damaged any of THEIR property, the outcry would ring loud and clear.
There are a lot of decent people who work hard for their Church and their community, only to find acts of vandalism - time the authorities dealt out more severe punishment, because so far, their efforts are useless.
Even if the Church concerned secured a new cross, how long before this one goes the same way as the first - CCTV is a must, get the louts on camera and then hit them where or how it hurts the most. No point taking them to Church, they are well past any help.
1:50pm Sat 10 Nov 12
Major Tom says...
8:56am Sun 11 Nov 12
halfhearted says...
Many people are expressing their opinion just like yourself. Why is it immature rubbish ?
The Police Inspector has not described the incident as Criminal Damage,why not ? Because thats what it is.
If the offence has been committed by the Asian youth why has it not been classed as racially motivated ? If it was the other way round it would be.
If the Police do trace those responsible they can't make them pay for the damage,they may plead to them in order that they pay,only a Court can order that the offenders pay,and if that be the case they cannot be locked away.
By the way,I'm not a dosser who is too idle to work. Like you I'm Blackburn born and bred and no longer live in the town.
Lancashie,like many parts of the Country have issues,and these issues have to be addressed. Its no use acting like an ostrich. This will not cure the problems.
11:36am Sun 11 Nov 12
M Foster says...
In my youth, young males did not go round wearing such things and would have stood out like a sore thumb if they had. Now it is everyday attire, the desired (fashion?) choice of youth belonging to every shade of ethnic group which just happens to come in handy if, being street-wise, they want to engage in some illegal activity. I think that CCTV is a poor and expensive alternative to proper crime prevention.
To me, an even stronger case against CCTV is the loss of personal freedom in having Big Brother (the State) and private companies being able to track our everyday movements whenever we leave our house. "What have you got to fear if you are innocent?" some misguided people may ask to which I would answer "Everything, including your freedom!"
The authorities are exerting ever increasing control on all our everyday lives from jailing a mother for smacking her child to people jailed for just typing words in a comment on Twitter/Facebook. So-called `justice' is being metered out on the hoof, especially, now, the all-embracing `Hate Speech'. People are being jailed by secret, illegal `kangaroo' courts without recourse to a proper defence representation or even their rights under Common Law/Magna Carta to be tried by a jury of their fellow peers.
Our car trips can be tracked with numberplate recognition systems and emails/phone calls/internet activity monitored. We even have CCTV in some public toilets, for goodness sake. There are many more example to be found of the states' intrusiveness if you look. How long before we are told we need them in our homes to combat crime and terrorism, etc?
To me, this is a dangerous, slippery road to go down and the price we will all pay in becoming serfs, for little return in reduced crime prevention, is too high. Half of the country watching the other half smacks of the old, discredited USSR era.
4:12pm Sun 11 Nov 12
Rimbus says...
7:36pm Mon 12 Nov 12
sen c ble says...
7:38pm Mon 12 Nov 12
sen c ble says...
10:31pm Mon 12 Nov 12
abdullah says...
11:42am Tue 13 Nov 12
sen c ble says...