Sunday, August 9, 2009

No respect


On a side note to the article below I decided to post this older article showing that this phenomenon is not happening just here in San Antonio.

I guess Yobs is British for Pendejos.


The thugs who even throw stones at funeral processions and firemen
www.dailymail.co.uk

Drivers and youths are showing no respect for the dead or their grieving families, according to Britain's undertakers.

The past decade has seen public attitude towards funerals reach an "all-time low", they claim.

Similarly, firefighters are facing a torrent of abuse and mindless attacks from yobs as they attempt to save lives.

In a "sad reflection of today's society" motorists refuse to stop for funeral processions and regularly cut up hearses.

Horses pulling funeral carriages have even had stones thrown at them by schoolchildren.

Undetakers have revealed that members of the public now rarely stop when the cortege passes and policeman no longer salute.

The National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors says members are reporting more such incidents, with the situation worse in big cities.

John Weir from the society, whose members organise 60 per cent of funerals in Britain, said: "Respect for the dead is at an alltime low.

"People used to stop as a funeral went past, those wearing hats would take them off, policemen would salute and traffic would give way.

"That doesn't happen any more and in the past ten years there has been a decline in behaviour.

"Funeral directors have noticed this change and, of course, it is the families who are affected.

"A funeral only happens once. If something happens, the relatives are scarred for ever. It is a sad reflection of today's society.

"Things are worse in the cities; in market towns and in the country it is not as bad."

John Harris, of T Cribb and Sons funeral directors in London's East End, organises 800 horsedrawn funerals each year. He believes carrying out a funeral has become more difficult because of the attitude of other road-users and a lack of respect from today's youngsters.

"In the past ten years respect for the dead has declined," he said. "And it is part of a wider breakdown of society.

"Road users are the biggest problem. Drivers will overtake and then cut in, which can spook the horses. And we have had an incident of schoolchildren throwing things at the horses.

"When I started 35 years ago, things like this would never have happened."

The shocking reports from undertakers come as firemen reveal they regularly come under fire from yobs.

Union chiefs are warning that firemen need more protection from violent thugs - with 40 crews a week facing serious attacks.

Gangs of yobs are luring crews on to the streets with hoax calls or by setting fire to rubbish bins or cars.

The firemen are then surrounded and pelted with stones, bricks, bottles and even petrol bombs.

There have also been stabbings, booby-trap explosions and crews shot with airguns, while verbal intimidation and abuse have become commonplace.

Assaults leapt from 1,300 to 1,500 last year according to the Fire Brigades Union.

In some areas, violence and verbal abuse have become so routine that crews no longer bother to report incidents - making a nonsense of Government figures showing a marked improvement with only 400 attacks last year.

Publishing a report into the worsening problems yesterday, the union accused ministers of turning a blind eye and demanded investment in a nationwide strategy to protect firefighters.

Currently there is no self-defence training for crews and no proper system of priority police callouts to deal with attacks.

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said it is almost "beyond belief" that firemen and women could be attacked so viciously while fighting fires and trying to save lives.