UK climate activist sparks fury by 'pouring human faeces' on Captain Sir Tom Moore memorial in protest over private jets

A memorial to Captain Sir Tom Moore was vandalised by Maddie Budd.
A memorial to Captain Sir Tom Moore was vandalised by Maddie Budd. Photo credit: Givealitte / Twitter / @EndUKPrivateJet

A climate activist has sparked fury by pouring a bucket of what she says is human faeces over a memorial to a beloved UK figure in a bizarre protest over the use of private jets.

Maddie Budd, 21, vandalised a memorial to Captain Sir Tom Moore, a World War II veteran who rose to fame early in the COVID-19 pandemic by walking laps of his garden to raise money for the UK's National Health Service (NHS). He ended up raising £32,796,355 (NZ$65,434,422), won admirers around the world, and was knighted for his efforts.

Footage of Budd's stomach-churning protest in Hatton, Derbyshire, was posted to social media pages of the campaign group End UK Private Jets on Saturday, where they claimed she was "pouring human faeces" on the memorial.

"People are going to say that he's a hero, people are going to say that this is profoundly, obscenely disrespectful to his life, and to the NHS he stood up for and I agree," Budd said in a video.

Budd, who is a former medical student, said she was studying to become a doctor because she believes in taking care of people.

She said that if people believe the NHS is important, that healthcare workers are doing essential work, and it's important to take care of each other, then "why are forcing our healthcare system into collapse".

"All of this is true and the government won't even end UK private jets. Every time one takes off, it pours a bucket of shit and blood onto everything that Captain Tom stood for," Budd said.

Warning: The embedded video below contains graphic footage that may be upsetting for some people.

End UK Private Jets is a small group that is protesting against carbon emissions from high-end aircraft. They only have a small number of followers on social media and it's believed the group was only recently set up.

A spokesperson for the group told Metro that Sir Tom "did so much good" during his life, particularly in raising money for the NHS, but this is "getting shit all over" whenever a private jet takes off.

"The NHS will collapse if there's no food, water or if the beds are filled up with millions of bodies. Words don't come close to describe what this looks like," the spokesperson said.

Budd's stunt prompted outrage on social media.

"It looks like a child throwing a disgusting tantrum and being beyond disrespectful. This kind of behaviour will not convince anyone to make any changes," one person wrote on Twitter.

"I do hope she's been arrested. I can't think of a more disgusting act of vandalism as this! Absolutely sick of these so-called 'protesters' believing they speak for anyone but themselves," another said.

A Twitter user claiming to be the person who gifted the Sir Tom memorial said they will be pushing police to press charges against Budd.

"We will be pursuing Maddie for vandalism. We will work with the police to ensure this taken as far as possible."

According to the Daily Mail, Budd was arrested in September last year in London while protesting with doctors and healthcare workers for the global environmental group Extinction Rebellion.