Pro-Palestine protesters vandalise war memorial in 'unacceptable' act as police launch investigation

Pro-Palestine protesters graffitied a war memorial in Rochdale in an 'unacceptable' act of vandalism, with police launching an investigation.

Police officers cordoned off and guarded the Rochdale Cenotaph after two incidents at the war memorial, saying the memorial was a 'crime scene' on Tuesday night (November 7).

An incident on Monday (November 6) led to two teenagers, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, being charged with intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance.

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But the response to the second incident, which was reported shortly after 4pm on Tuesday and saw 'Free Palestine' graffitied on the memorial, is ongoing. Greater Manchester Police did not provide any further details.

The Rochdale memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, who also designed the Cenotaph on Whitehall, which is the site of the National Service of Remembrance every November.

A Rochdale Council spokesperson said: "On the afternoon of Tuesday 7 November graffiti was sprayed on the Cenotaph. This is totally unacceptable and is also being investigated by police. The graffiti will be removed as soon as we are able to.

"As we said in our initial response – we are proud of our strong links with our armed forces community. Our war memorials and monuments are incredibly important and should be respected by everyone at all times."

Chief Superintendent Nicky Porter, GMP Rochdale district commander, said: “We join communities across Rochdale in being deeply saddened by the incidents at the Cenotaph – the memorial is a particularly