Three teenagers have been spared jail time after pleading guilty to vandalizing the Rochdale Cenotaph, a war memorial, by spray-painting the words ‘Free Palestine’ and draping a Palestinian flag over the structure. The incident occurred on November 7, 2022, and came just a day after a separate incident where two other teenagers damaged poppy wreaths placed on the cenotaph while shouting antisemitic phrases. Both incidents led to increased police presence at the memorial ahead of Remembrance Day.
The three teens involved in the vandalism, Adeem Ahmed, Amaan Tariq, both 18, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons, initially denied the racially aggravated nature of their actions. However, they later changed their pleas and were sentenced to six-month referral orders. They were also ordered to pay £140 in compensation, £85 court costs, and a £26 victim surcharge. Tariq and the 17-year-old also pleaded guilty to the theft of spray cans and paint brushes from a local store.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) discontinued the trial ‘on evidential grounds’, leading to the referral orders rather than prison sentences. When the teenagers entered their pleas at Manchester Magistrates’ Court in November, District Judge Joanne Hirst highlighted the seriousness of the offense, stating that ‘desecration of a cenotaph is not a normal case of criminal damage.’ She emphasized the importance of respecting war memorials and noted that over five-and-a-half million Muslims had fought and died for freedom in the Second World War.
The vandalism of the Rochdale Cenotaph sparked outrage and condemnation, with many expressing concern about the rise in antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiment. The incident has also raised questions about the need for increased security and protection of war memorials and other symbols of remembrance.
