Thursday, 22 May 2014

Lee Rigby murder: Woolwich tributes to soldier



Hundreds of bikers gathered in south-east London to pay tribute to Fusilier Lee Rigby who was murdered in public near Woolwich Barracks a year ago.

A memorial service at the barracks was led by the Rector of Woolwich and included a message from the 25-year-old soldier's mother, Lyn Rigby.

Two British Muslim converts were jailed for life in February for the murder.

In an interview on ITV Mrs Rigby said: "I will never forgive them for what they did to Lee. Never."

Michael Adebolajo, 29, and Michael Adebowale, 22, drove a car into into Fusilier Rigby before hacking him to death. Adebolajo was given a whole-life term and Adebowale was jailed for 45 years.
'Extraordinary response'

Bikers, including current and former British military personnel, gathered at Greenwich Park before riding past the scene of the murder and up to the barracks' parade ground, from where they marched to the main gates for the ceremony.
Fusilier Lee Rigby was hacked to death publicly in Woolwich

Organiser of the ride Julia Stevenson said: "The Lee Rigby ride is about a single soldier, brutally cut down not on the battlefield but on the streets of London."

A few lines from Mrs Rigby was read at the service in memory of her son, of Middleton in Greater Manchester.
In a statement, Home Secretary Theresa May said: "We shall never forget the appalling crime which was committed so publicly in Woolwich a year ago and our thoughts must go to Lee Rigby's loved ones on this very difficult day.

"The entire country united to condemn his death and the murderous ideology his killers espoused."

London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "No family deserves the shock and pain they have faced.

"We also remember the extraordinary response of the city on that day; the members of the public who went to comfort the dying man, like Amanda Donnelly and her daughter Gemini.

"We salute again the fearlessness of Ingrid Loyau-Kennau who stood up to armed killers and told them what she thought of them."

Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee Keith Vaz praised the soldier's family for their "utmost dignity and humility during an incomprehensibly difficult year".



POST ORIGINATED FROM http://www.bbc.com








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