Vimy Memorial Sex Acts Film: Fines in Finally

[englishmuffin]

Well I'm speechless. I hope the link works.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080122.wvimy22/BNStory/International/home

Swingers make love, not war, at Vimy Ridge

TU THANH HA

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

January 22, 2008 at 2:23 AM EST

Exhibitionism. Cruising in the woods. Swinging couples.

The Canadian National Vimy Memorial in northern France has become a gathering place for some French citizens looking for kinky sex.

Monday, a French couple appeared at the courthouse in nearby Arras on charges of sexual exhibitionism at the First World War memorial.

Another woman, who describes herself as being 35, appears on an “amateurs” website, which features 10 photos of her in various states of undress, which she boasts were snapped at the Vimy monument.

On the first picture, the woman, in a miniskirt and showing her bra, is leaning against a stone rampart where the names of missing First World War Canadian soldiers are etched.

The rest of the explicit pictures accompany the woman's flashing episode, which she said concluded with her having sex with two men.

On another website, the monument's parking lot is described as a place for cruising and for swingers.

A spokesman for Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson said the Canadian government hopes Monday's court appearance will send a message.

“At this point, our participation in the French legal system will be enough of a deterrent,” said Richard Roik. “Inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated.”

The memorial's size and remote location might explain its popularity with sexual thrill-seekers.

About two hours drive north of Paris, the site sprawls across an isolated area, removed from any neighbouring villages and still crisscrossed by trenches and gullies.

On asexyblog.com, a French site that advertises “naughty places” and “swingers' meeting places,” Vimy is one of several listed locations.

Driving directions to Vimy are given in one posting from Jan. 8, guiding aficionados to the memorial's parking lot.

“There's cruising in the woods behind the parking lot. In the evening it's directly in the parking,” the site says. “Watch out in the evening, there are also swinging couples.”

According to the local paper La Voix du Nord, the man and woman who appeared in court Monday are in their 40s and had been charged in October.

The married couple was identified by a police unit specializing in cyber-surveillance, even though the woman's face had been electronically smudged.

The couple's court hearing unfolded behind closed doors. A ruling is expected on Monday.

La Voix du Nord noted the thoughtlessness of people indulging in sex acts on such hallowed grounds.

“In the minds of Canadians, the historical site of Vimy nearly marks the birth of their country. If we dare sully the memory of those soldiers who died during World War I, it's the whole country that we sully,” the paper said on its website Monday.

The four-day battle at Vimy in 1917 cost 3,598 Canadian lives and left thousands wounded, marking a coming of age for Canada's military.

About how much unexploded ordinances are at Vimy?

 

[geo]

They had this on the BBC news last night.... I was baffled & tongue tied!
It appears that these lovers appreciate the parking lots we provide at Vimy & the remoteness of the monument.... I guess it was away from their spouses...

Unfortunately for them, it appears that France is very strict on "disgracing" monuments & these people could end up with fines AND jail time...

Stay tuned, this could be interesting

 

[Rayman]

Well im officially sick and again, have lost all hope for mankind... What a bunch of @$$'es. Have they any respect for the dead and those who died to liberate their country?

 

[medaid]

Isn't the Vimy Monument technically Canadian soil?

 

[Delicron]

The fact that people can even contain this level of disrespect, makes me visibly angry and agitated.  I've shown this to people here where I work, and the response is universal, repugnance.  The disrespect of any war memorial to ANY country is enough to make me think we should revoke freedoms for people who obviously have no regard for the people who died to give those freedoms to them.  They obviously have no appreciation for freedoms, so why should they have any?

Extreme, absolutely, but that's how angry it makes me, and everyone around me here. 

 

[Thompson_JM]

Im certainly unimpressed at the people doing these acts.

But it is good to know the French Govt also has no tolerance for this sort of behavior and that these people will be sorted out right quick.

 

[Delicron]

Isn't the Vimy Monument technically Canadian soil?

Yes, as confirmed by the Memorial's Wiki:

In 1922, use of the land, for the battlefield park which contains the memorial was granted, in perpetuity, for all time by the French nation to the people of Canada in recognition of Canada's war efforts. [1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_National_Vimy_Memorial


There's another good site with some pictures here as well:
http://www.harrypalmergallery.ab.ca/galwarvimy/galwarvimy.html

 

[Eids of March]

Ah, what's the big deal? The article even said that the memorial is one of many out-of-the-way sites listed on the swinger website, so it probably wasn't specifically targeted. And it's not like they were spraypainting or wrecking anything like what happened in Ottawa.

 

[Delicron]

Ah, what's the big deal?

I'm sure there are a number of people on this site who would consider this a very big deal.  Consider this, it would be akin to a group targeting your Grandmothers grave specifically to perform sex and other forms of exhibitionism.  Sure, they have a list of other graves they can visit and do that occasionally, but they really like your grandmothers, because it's more out of the way and secluded.  Now, whenever you visit your beloved grandmother's final resting place, you have to deal with used condoms and the occasional forgotten pantie.  Now multiply this feeling by about 200 000, as that is the number of men that perished to secure the Vimy area.  Even that does not describe the outrage a Canadian should feel upon hearing this.

The fact this was even in a list of sites promoting these activities show that they are shortsighted enough to not realize the importance of such a site.  It also shows a level of disrespect that is somewhat more severe than merely having sex in a public space. Granted, the spray paintings in Ottawa are indeed reprehensible, even more so than this; this just shows a different form of the same kind of desecration.

 

[Eids of March]

The occasional forgotten pantie?

Is that when there's only half a pair of panties? As in the guy was so excited to be having sex on my grandmother's grave that he ripped the girls panties off and tore them in two? Or had the girl been in a car crash and had lost a leg, so she only needed one pantie, and not a pair? These are important questions here. They must be answered. For science!

And come to think of it, when I joined, I told a friend of mine that if I died in battle, that it would be his duty to have a FFM 3-some on the town's cenotaph in my honor. So maybe my worldview is a little different from yours.

 

[Panzer Grenadier]

And come to think of it, when I joined, I told a friend of mine that if I died in battle, that it would be his duty to have a FFM 3-some on the town's cenotaph in my honor. So maybe my worldview is a little different from yours.

Well that takes the cake for me.

 

[Franko]

Ah, what's the big deal?

Welcome to the Warning system.

Troops....do not feed the trolls.

The Army.ca staff

 

[eechoss]

Some people really make me sick, this is such a disgrace. I hope they get the hammer for this.  I was there on the 90th anniversary and it is a undescribable place.

 

[1feral1]

I am  not overly impressed either, but if they wanna swing, go elsewhere. Can this area be sign posted 'no loitering', or similar? But then again loiterers may be sightseers. Sadly its a French problem, not ours, but we can show our discontent, and maybe the French will act more harshly (maybe).

I wonder if these swingers are using Verdun or areas of the Miginot Line or other French battle sites?

I remember my first trip to Halifax, went up to the Citidel Museum, thought it was an interesting area. I said to my friend, lets come back down here tonight....

Eeeew, after he told me whay we should not, I agreed.

Certain landmarks have a different meaning to locals. The Vimy monument has been around since 1936, some may realise what its there for, others just see it as 'another' memorial, and a quiet place, and don't see it as we do.

In Holland school kids are at times allowed to play in the CWGC cemeteries during outings. This caused many Vets to scream, but the Dutch view at as they are sure the soldiers buried would love to hear the sound of laughter of young children playing, adn means no disrespect. However controlled body fluid exchanges don't count.

In short the French authorities should be notified of Cnadian displeasure, amd we'll see what happens from there. At least some have been charged over this, and more publicity may direct the French into more defined action.


Cheers,

Wes

 

[1feral1]

The occasional forgotten pantie?

Is that when there's only half a pair of panties? As in the guy was so excited to be having sex on my grandmother's grave that he ripped the girls panties off and tore them in two? Or had the girl been in a car crash and had lost a leg, so she only needed one pantie, and not a pair? These are important questions here. They must be answered. For science!

And come to think of it, when I joined, I told a friend of mine that if I died in battle, that it would be his duty to have a FFM 3-some on the town's cenotaph in my honor. So maybe my worldview is a little different from yours.

Are you really as stupid as you sound???

Its your integrity on here not ours, and not thaty you really seem to care anyways.

perhaps you should go 'feltch' somewhere else.

 

[vonGarvin]

Mods:
Please lock this before two trains collide. 

Thank you


Have a wonderful day.

 

[Michael OLeary]

We are done here for now, as the topic seems to be simply a flame war waiting to happen.  If any new facts come to light, the thread can be reopened then.

Milnet.ca Staff

 

[1feral1]

This UK article appeared here on 9 Apr 09 Australian time.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1168506/Outrage-women-filmed-stripping-WWI-memorial-France.html

Outrage at women who were filmed stripping off on WWI memorial in FranceBy Ian Sparks
Last updated at 5:39 PM on 08th April 2009

The women who exposed themselves for the cameras at the Vimy memorial in northern France were also sentenced for exhibitionism.

The poignant monument pays tribute to hundreds of Canadian soldiers who fell at the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge, one of the bloodiest battles in the Somme.
 
Sordid: The couples filmed themselves at a monument which pays tribute to hundreds of Canadian soldiers who fell at the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge, one of the bloodiest battles in the Somme

The two couples claimed they made the sordid film 'on the spur of the moment' while out walking.

But a court in Arras, northern France, heard the memorial - two huge stone obelisks visible for miles - had become a site used for public sex acts and 'dogging'.

The couples were only stopped when a guard at the memorial spotted their antics and called the police, the court was told.

Prosecutor Eise Bozzolo said: 'The women were seen stepping up onto the plinth of the monument and taking off their skirts.

'Then they started removing their tops, and neither of them was wearing any underwear, suggesting the stunt was planned.

'Who knows how far this sleazy scene would have gone if they had not been seen by a security guard who called the police.' 

He added: 'The memorial has long been used for exhibitionism and other sex acts. It is an insult to all the men who died saving France.' 

The court heard how three months after the incident in November 2007, another couple filmed themselves having sex on the monument, and were only caught when they posted the footage on the internet. 

A spokesman for the French government's war veterans ministry said today: 'We are shocked at the latest profound insult to some of the bravest men the world has ever seen.'

The two men and two women who appeared in court on Tuesday were each given two-month suspended prison sentences, jointly fined £550 and ordered to pay a symbolic one euro in damages to Canada, which lost 60,000 troops in the Great War.

Arras police said many similar sordid incidents had been reported at other war memorials in the battlefields of the Somme in northern France.

A spokesman added: 'There has been a rise in the the number of people who seem to take some kind of perverse pleasure in performing sex acts at sensitive sites that should be shown the utmost respect.'

The imposing Vimy memorial - which was unveiled in 1936 by King Edward VIII - is set in a park granted in perpetuity to Canada and attracts half a million visitors a year.

Every year, police in the Somme investigate dozens of incidents of vandalism and desecration of the region's war memorials, which pay tribute to the millions of British and Allied troops who died in the 1914-18 war.

In one of the worst examples in July 2006, thugs demanding an end to the Iraq war daubed foul slogans on a memorial to British and American troops in Etaples.

They painted a swastika and wrote in bright red paint, 'Saddam Hussein will win and spill your blood' and 'Death to the Yankees'.

Two years ago, vandals smashed the headstones of ten British soldiers at the Hibers Trench cemetery near Arras, trampled flowers and left the ground strewn.

Coinsidence that thgis all comes out a day shy of the anniersary?


OWDU