On the social networking site Bebo, there’s a group called grungers-should-die, which sets out its mission statement as follows: “Join this band if u think grungers / goth should die … tell us some story about u bashing some grungers.”
On the comment wall, a girl has obliged: “f**kin bashed a grunger the uva day innit.”
Over on Myspace, there is a profile for a group called SOPHIE, illustrated with a photograph of a smiling young woman with dreadlocks and facial piercings, wearing a vest with a skeleton on it.
She is Sophie Lancaster, the 20-year-old beaten to death by two teenage boys in a park in Lancashire last summer. Sophie died because of the way she looked. She was killed trying to protect her boyfriend, Robert Maltby, who had already been knocked unconscious by the boys.
The girl who called 999 about the attack said the couple were “bashed” for being “moshers”. Sadly, this is not an uncommon occurance.
However, goths have joined together for the Whitby Gothic Weekend, held last Friday to Sunday. A bi-annual event, goths from across the country join together to have fun, make friends and forget all the hatred that befalls them by the ignorant.
This year’s festival was held in memory of Sophie, with each person invited to lay a single flower in her memory.
Martin Coles, more commonly known on the goth scene as DJ Martin Oldgoth, was the instigator. “When the news broke that Sophie had died from her injuries it shook the goth community to the core,” he said. “As a group of people we’re used to abuse from people, but this was just so shocking.
Martin Oldgoth
“A group of us decided that something had to be done in her memory and also to try to raise the awareness of the fact that these attacks, while not always so brutal, are reasonably common.”
Coles says the goth community is misunderstood. “What people don’t understand is that the goth community is largely a peaceful one, full of intelligent people that have often been shunned by normal society and choose to keep company with other likeminded souls. In 22 years of running clubs I’ve not seen one fight, or indeed any trouble.”
Talk to any goth and chances are, they are used to being on the receiving end of regular, occasionally physical abuse. The Guardian has posted a video on its website comprised of goths talking about their experiences. It truely is harrowing to listen to. But, with events like these and support from all those who show any kind or compassion, maybe we won’t have to listen to another tragic tale like Sophie’s.
Do we encourage yobs?
{ May 12, 2008 @ 11:06 am } · { Comment }
{ Tags: Brendan Harris, Ryan Herbert, Sophie Lancaster } · { Comments (4) }
Sophie Lancaster
The murder of Sophie Lancaster – kicked to death by pubescent, drunk chavs because she was a goth – might have shocked us once, now it just appalls us. Sophie had gone to the aid of her boyfriend who was being beaten up by youths. They kicked her so hard that the paramedics were unable to tell if she was male or female.
Her murder was not shocking because such acts of mindless and often motiveless violence have become very familar to us. But, may be it is our fault that such crimes occur so regularly, not the arragant swines, who think themselves above the law, who commit the crime.
The sickos who did this – Ryan Herbert, 16, and Brendan Harris, 15, stare out of their mugshots – crop-haired, immensely stupid yobs. Images that we have seen a countless time.
Mindless thugs who killed Sophie
As in most other cases, they were hanging around the local park in the early hours of the morning; their parents not caring where they were or what they were doing.
The park, in Bacup but like most others, is a notourious blackspot for congregations of drunken yobs threatening people. But neither the police or the local council were sufficiently concerned to do anything about them. According to the council, park wardens were too expensive.
And, like most other cases, what do you hear when it is reported in the news? That they have done this kind of thing before. Both had been previously convicted for an almost identical assault in the very same park.
The magistrates sentenced them to a meesle spot of community service. They were obviously bored, having seen this kind of crime daily. It’s ok boys, go off and paint.
If they’d had a harsher punishmet – any actual deterrent rather than a minor inconvenience – then may be it wouldn’t have happened again.
Incredibly, the council had put money into a project to “give the kids somewhere to vent their anger” and made Herbert a pop star. He’d been in a rap viedo (which was put on youtube) threatening people with what would happen if they ran into his ‘gang’.
They were indulged and encouraged at every turn. Their parents didn’t care and laughed about it in the interview room. The courts who let them off lightly. The council who think channelling their energies would help rid them, not indulge them in their fantasies. The government who want to send fewer people to prison.
No wonder this happens so often. How sad that people should suffer because the people in charge are too stupid or scared to do something about it. Who is going to apologise to Sophie?