'The Haunting Soldier' sculpture vandalised

AudreyHepburn · 22-11-2018 09:00PM

klaaaz wrote: »

You still do not seem to understand Audrey. They are anti-British military like opposing occupation of Ireland by British forces. There is zero nothing wrong with them liking British sport, music, food etc, they are not racist if you're trying to imply that.

Where or when did I mention racism?

Again I never said there was anything wrong with liking any of those things. I just don’t understand how they, and you, can’t or won’t see the irony in liking those things whilst claiming to despise everything British when things like the vandalism of this statue occur.

garbanzo · 22-11-2018 09:04PM

Deep breaths. I think it was a wrong thing to do but I do entirely understand why someone would do something like this.

We do need to move on. Maybe the term is “to forgive, but not forget”. Hope I’m making sense...

klaaaz · 22-11-2018 09:10PM

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

Where or when did I mention racism?

Again I never said there was anything wrong with liking any of those things. I just don’t understand how they, and you, can’t or won’t see the irony in liking those things whilst claiming to despise everything British when things like the vandalism of this statue occur.

Audrey, they do not hate everything British. This is what you fail to see. Saying they hate everything British mounts to a racist viewpoint.

Lefty Bicek · 22-11-2018 09:11PM

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

Where or when did I mention racism?

Again I never said there was anything wrong with liking any of those things. I just don’t understand how they, and you, can’t or won’t see the irony in liking those things whilst claiming to despise everything British when things like the vandalism of this statue occur.

I think this is where you're going wrong.

Lefty Bicek · 22-11-2018 09:20PM

I wonder could we borrow it back again in 2020 to commemorate the Connaught Rangers mutiny ?

cameramonkey · 22-11-2018 10:40PM

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

Well not for certain of course but I was making an educated guess.

I think you are making an assumption based on a very narrow view of those that may have carried out this act.

There is no evidence that they are English football supporters, there is no evidence that they read UK tabloids.

mick malones mauser · 22-11-2018 11:00PM

A white dove with the words Never Again is the only fitting commerative symbol of WW1 that should be tolerated in any civilised society.
Anything else is just pandering to the war mongers and their sycophants who cant accept they dont have an empire any more.
Statues of British soldiers in a city where they murdered civilians...WTF

corner of hells · 22-11-2018 11:27PM

mick malones mauser wrote: »

A white dove with the words Never Again is the only fitting commerative symbol of WW1 that should be tolerated in any civilised society.
Anything else is just pandering to the war mongers and their sycophants who cant accept they dont have an empire any more.
Statues of British soldiers in a city where they murdered civilians...WTF

How bout an arch leading into a nice park, maybe with the names of soldiers engraved on it ?

RandomName2 · 23-11-2018 12:13AM

mick malones mauser wrote: »

A white dove with the words Never Again is the only fitting commerative symbol of WW1 that should be tolerated in any civilised society.
Anything else is just pandering to the war mongers and their sycophants who cant accept they dont have an empire any more.
Statues of British soldiers in a city where they murdered civilians...WTF

A statue, made of scrap metal, showing a war-weary demobbed solder, literally called the Haunting Soldier is pandering to war warmongers? I know all art is subjective, but.. what?

Compare two different statues that are a reflection on war and spot the difference

great-dorset-steam-fair-blandford-dorset-uk-22nd-august-2018-the-haunting-a-scrap-metal-sculpture-of-a-ww1-soldier-created-by-the-artist-and-blacksmith-martin-galbavy-on-view-for-the-first-time-to-the-public-and-unveiled-at-the-50th-anniversary-show-of-the-great-dorset-steam-fair-it-stands-at-over-6-metres-in-height-and-was-crafted-at-dorset-forge-fabrication-wyrdlight-alamy-live-news-PFNMR8.jpg

great-dorset-steam-fair-blandford-dorset-uk-22nd-august-2018-the-haunting-a-scrap-metal-sculpture-of-a-ww1-soldier-created-by-the-artist-and-blacksmith-martin-galbavy-on-view-for-the-first-time-to-the-public-and-unveiled-at-the-50th-anniversary-show-of-the-great-dorset-steam-fair-it-stands-at-over-6-metres-in-height-and-was-crafted-at-dorset-forge-fabrication-wyrdlight-alamy-live-news-PFNMR8.jpg

The Haunting Soldier

Hermannsdenkmal

corks finest · 23-11-2018 12:19AM

As a republican for a long time 45 yrs plus,I find it disgusting that anyone could do this

mick malones mauser · 23-11-2018 12:20AM

Whats wrong with a white dove
Symbol of peace
Failing that a column listing the names of all the Generals and Politcians responsible for the slaughter with the words.....THESE EVIL MONSTERS SENT MILLIONS OF YOUNG BOYS AND MEN TO THEIR DEATHS....NEVER AGAIN.

Lefty Bicek · 23-11-2018 12:47AM

RandomName2 wrote: »

A statue, made of scrap metal, showing a war-weary demobbed solder, literally called the Haunting Soldier is pandering to war warmongers? I know all art is subjective, but.. what?

It isn't any old Haunting Soldier though is it ?

It's a British Haunting Soldier.

23-11-2018 01:43AM

Harry Palmr wrote: »

The country is still festooned with lumps of stone or metal commemorating the rising

I’m not sure how making disparaging remarks about other statues/momuments etc in the country contributes to a thread such as this?

gormdubhgorm · 23-11-2018 02:20AM

I thought about this and too be honest I am bit mixed on it.
From a WWI standpoint it was a war constructed and fought by elites for which many ordinary men had to die for no real reason.
The war was really between a family who fell out with each other, and other countries jumped on-board to see what they could get based on alliances.

I know many Irishmen fought in WWI for many reasons, adventure, money, freedom of 'small nations'. Or in the hope that it would bring home rule, or in the hope of keeping Ireland in the Union.
But, I still believe people have the right to protest as well, and throwing paint on the sculpture was part of that protest.
We are yet to know the reasons, it could be that the person viewed the war as an imperialist, jingoist travesty, or a variety of other motives.

It was only a bit of red paint no one died.

John Sacrimoni · 23-11-2018 05:01AM

TomSweeney wrote: »

I went to school with a guy that was filmed attacking someone on a LUAS - he was part of the anitFa group

Wasn't exactly a tolerant chap, used to have all the n*gger jokes, also is a football hooligan, big supporter of a north dublin club associated with antiFa.

Would have been so easy for him to have become a far right neo nazi too,

He had a photo of himself on FB doing a nazi salute - years ago now, long since deleted.

different sides of the same coin.

The Baker fella? Scumbag. You'll be happy to know he got an awful doing there not so long go. Many stitches.

Killinator · 23-11-2018 05:31AM

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

But, I still believe people have the right to protest as well, and throwing paint on the sculpture was part of that protest.

That's not a protest, it's criminal damage!

Lefty Bicek · 23-11-2018 06:05AM

Killinator wrote: »

That's not a protest, it's criminal damage!

They're not mutually exclusive things.

AudreyHepburn · 23-11-2018 09:12AM

Lefty Bicek wrote: »

I think this is where you're going wrong.

And if I’m wrong about this or have caused you or others any offense then I apologize.

I was simply basing my assumption on other anti British protests I’ve witnessed and the people carrying them out.

It wasn’t an attempt at racism or anything like that. I was just adding my thoughts on who might have been responsible for this act.

I’ve obviously offended you and others so for that I apologize.

I won’t apologize for thinking this act was childish and pathetic though. That’s my belief.

AudreyHepburn · 23-11-2018 09:14AM

klaaaz wrote: »

Audrey, they do not hate everything British. This is what you fail to see. Saying they hate everything British mounts to a racist viewpoint.

How can you know that for sure though? I’m not saying you’re wrong, you may not be.

But how can you possibly know for sure?

AudreyHepburn · 23-11-2018 09:16AM

Lefty Bicek wrote: »

It isn't any old Haunting Soldier though is it ?

It's a British Haunting Soldier.

And a massive portion of the ‘British’ soldiers who went to war weren’t actually British.

Why are people so determined to ignore this and brush those men under the carpet?

RandomName2 · 23-11-2018 09:23AM

Lefty Bicek wrote: »

It isn't any old Haunting Soldier though is it ?

It's a British Haunting Soldier.

Yes yes, but not necessarily an 'English' Haunting Soldier. It could be English, Scottish, Welsh, or Irish.

Irish Guitarist · 23-11-2018 09:49AM

Honestly I think that thing is a monstrosity. I'm not even talking about politics or complaining about the Brits. I just think it's visually hideous. I think the Liberty Tree in Carlow is equally hideous.

I don't care what something represents; I just hate ugly sculptures.

Berserker · 23-11-2018 10:03AM

Heard about this earlier. Any news on who did it? Red suggests that it was some socialist group but it could have been an Irish republican who hasn't managed to got to grips with colours yet.

Conall Cernach wrote: »

A statue to a British soldier in the place of one of the key battlegrounds of the Easter Rising. Who thought it was a good idea to put it up there in the first place?

Or it could be one of the Irish born soldiers.

Deleted User wrote: »

It's always infinitely more bizarre that there will be some Irish-born people who want this society to commemorate people who fought for the British Empire, the supposedly "good" imperialists who only tried to help the natives wherever they want. Bless.

It's not really for those of us who have some common sense and have not been brainwashed by Irish republican nonsense. Ireland was part of the the empire back in those days, like it or not and thousands of soldiers from here went out and fought. More Irish men fought in the wars than were present at the GPO. I'm discounting all the people who went to the GPO to buy stamps, dog licenses and collect their lotto winnings during the rising, fyi.

runawaybishop · 23-11-2018 10:05AM

RandomName2 wrote: »

Yes yes, but not necessarily an 'English' Haunting Soldier. It could be English, Scottish, Welsh, or Irish.

It could be a small Jack Russell terrier too, but it isn't.

Berserker · 23-11-2018 10:08AM

runawaybishop wrote: »

It could be a small Jack Russell terrier too, but it isn't.

Would you prefer if it was a Nazi monument? Very popular bunch of lads among the elite of Irish republicanism back in the 1940s.

klaaaz · 23-11-2018 10:08AM

RandomName2 wrote: »

Yes yes, but not necessarily an 'English' Haunting Soldier. It could be English, Scottish, Welsh, or Irish.

Serving the British Empire in a British uniform. Have you laid any poppies at the statue yet?

Gravelly · 23-11-2018 10:12AM

If they told the antifa lads that it was a statue of a red army soldier off to rape children in Berlin, they'd leave it alone.

Mrsmum · 23-11-2018 10:14AM

"It's not really for those of us who have some common sense and have not been brainwashed by Irish republican nonsense. Ireland was part of the the empire back in those days, like it or not and thousands of soldiers from here went out and fought. More Irish men fought in the wars than were present at the GPO. I'm discounting all the people who went to the GPO to buy stamps, dog licenses and collect their lotto winnings during the rising, fyi.[/QUOTE]

I'm sorry but I think that's like saying that people who were abused in Industrial homes and laundries were part of the establishment that kept them there.
We were "part of the empire" too during the famine. Didn't stop them letting millions starve.

runawaybishop · 23-11-2018 10:16AM

Berserker wrote: »

Would you prefer if it was a Nazi monument? Very popular bunch of lads among the elite of Irish republicanism back in the 1940s.

What point are you trying to make? Did someone erect a nazi monument and act surprised when it was vandalised?

Berserker · 23-11-2018 10:22AM

Mrsmum wrote: »

I'm sorry but I think that's like saying that people who were abused in Industrial homes and laundries were part of the establishment that kept them there. We were "part of the empire" too during the famine. Didn't stop them letting millions starve.

You were part of the empire and there were rich, some incredibly rich Irish born people and poor people in this country, just like there were rich and poor after 1916 and there are rich and poor today. There were rich and poor people all over the UK also. As for famine, Yemen is in dire straits at the moment, don't see you lot, as a super rich nation, rushing out to help them. Plenty of people in Ireland won't be able to afford a roof over their head and food today also.

'The Haunting Soldier' sculpture vandalised

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