British police charge the son of Pink Floyd guitarist

British police charge the son of Pink Floyd guitarist over his role in violent student protest

Raphael G. Satter
Associated Press
January 27, 2011

LONDON - Police filed charges against the son of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour on Thursday for his role in last month's violent protest against the British government's decision to raise university tuition fees.

Charlie Gilmour, 21, shocked many in Britain when he was photographed swinging from the Union Jack attached to the Cenotaph, Britain's most important war memorial, during the Dec. 9 demonstration.

The picture of Gilmour swinging from the flag featured prominently in the country's tabloid press and ran over captions reading "vile" and "shame."

Gilmour was originally arrested on suspicion of violent disorder, theft and "attempted criminal damage of the Union flag on the Cenotaph."

Police said Thursday that they weren't charging Gilmour with attempted criminal damage to the flag. They are however filing charges of violent disorder and "theft of a mannequin leg."

Police said they also had cautioned or charged 11 other protesters in relation to the disorder and other protests that hit London in the run-up to the government approved the controversial tuition hike.

Although most student protesters marched peacefully, the demonstrations often descended into violence amid clashes with riot police. The Dec. 9 march was particularly fraught, with some protesters even attacking the luxury car carrying Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla.

Gilmour has apologized for what he called a "terrible insult" to Britain's war dead. But he drew widespread ridicule when he claimed not to have known he was swinging from the Cenotaph.

Gilmour is a history student at Cambridge, one of the world's most prestigious universities.

I guess this would be akin to pissing on the Vietnam War Memorial.

One would think that a history student at Cambridge really should have known better. I can't believe that he did not know that he was swinging from the Cenotaph.

Does anyone in the UK believe that?

I cannot believe for one minute he didn't know what it was.

TexasBlue wrote:I guess this would be akin to pissing on the Vietnam War Memorial.

Originally a monument to the WWI dead, it is a memorial to every British (and Commonwealth) serviceman and woman who has died doing their duty. I fail to see how he could fail to recognise it. Every Remembrance Sunday (the closest Sunday to 11th November) there is a live broadcast of the service from the Cenotaph.

I see. It honors all war dead.

Btw, his dad is a kickass guitar player. Dbl, you oughta appreciate this one..........

Speaking on the loss of Pink Floyd's keyboard player (cancer) back in 2008.

Sorry. Can't help it. I'm a PF fan from way back. David Gilmour and Rick Wright doing The Great Gig In The Sky live in 1994 (Pink Floyd).