The monument was erected in 1948 to commemorate the British soldiers who protected Antwerp and East Flanders against German V1 and V2 attacks at the end of the war. The municipality of Beveren wants to move the monument to the Prosperpolder, as the future of the polder town of Doel, near the port of Antwerp, is uncertain. The local pressure group concerned with the future of Doel, Doel 2020, is angry. "The monument is pulled down before a public investigation has been started into the future of the village. This again shows how people deal with legal procedures, public investigations and zoning plans", Jan Creve of Doel 2020 explains.
"It's a pity that it happened in a sneaky way", says Alain Heyrman who represents a local group to protect the monument. "We will continue our petition and we hope that the monument can keep its place on the banks of the Scheldt, between the windmill and the nuclear plant."
Pressure groups have asked the Flemish minister Geert Bourgeois (Flemish nationalist) to protect the monument and say that they are not giving up the fight.
I am astounded at the lack of comments on this. Mayor Van Der Vijver has removed this important memorial in a sneaky, under-handed way. Greed often corrupts and it certainly looks suspicious in the way this was removed. Shame on Der Vijver - this is a disgrace to those who gave their lives - British, Belgians and dutch alike. As a serving member of the RAF, I feel very sad that this memorial has been destroyed in order to gain profits for land-seekers hoping to gain from port-expansion. A great shame.
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