The dad of an eco-protester who caused outrage after pouring human excrement over a Sir Captain Tom Moore monument says he is “horrified and ashamed” of her actions. Jim Budd said he "felt sick" when he saw the video of his daughter Maddie "desecrating the memory" of the late army veteran, who became a national hero after raising millions for the NHS during the Covid pandemic.
The father-of-six added that the 21-year-old had "gone rogue" after quitting medical school to become a full time eco-warrior. A recording of her stunt, carried out on behalf of pressure group End UK Private Jets, is currently being investigated by Derbyshire Police.
In the clip, Maddie can be seen pouring a container of faeces and urine over the memorial while wearing a t-shirt with 'end UK private jets' written on it. Speaking to Wales Online from his home near Kington on the England-Wales border, Maddie’s father was close to tears as he described his 'deep sadness' over the incident.
The 62-year-old, an award winning glazier, said he and his charity worker wife Harriet, 63, have messaged Maddie, but had no reply. “The shock of this is hurting people and upsetting them,” said Mr Budd.
“I’m ashamed of her and what she has done. There has been a big public reaction for obvious reasons. I don’t think she understands what the hell she was unleashing.
"She’s done something horrible without thinking of the consequences. I felt sick with shock when I saw it - I have sent her a text message but she has not replied.
"It goes against all the things you instil in your children - it is not normal behaviour. I’m extremely sad. The fact is she has sort of gone rogue."
Until recently Maddie was at medical school in Manchester ahead of an expected career with the NHS. She dropped out to devote all her time to protesting over climate change.
Her father said it was “understandable” police were investigating what he described as “an act of desecration”: “‘I can’t really apologise on her behalf. Sir Tom was clearly a national hero and the country resonated with his fantastic and amazing actions.
“We are trying to sort to out but if the police get involved then so be it. However shocking the future of climate change predictions are, I don’t think it was her duty to desecrate his memory in the way she has.
"Her motivations are very real but misplaced. The fact is she has gone rogue, so to speak. When people are young and vulnerable they can go down roads they would not do later in life. It is a horrible thing to have happened and people are obviously upset.
“It is very hard to understand how young people can feel so threatened by climate change that they can carry out such extreme actions. But I’m not making excuses for her, she has made a terrible mistake. We were horrified, it’s an ongoing worry."
Mr Budd added that Maddie should be working in a legitimate climate change action group rather than carrying out solo acts of desecration.
“Young people do feel desperate and my daughter feels more desperate than most. Her actions were ill judged and awful - this is horrible for any parent to go through. My wife is really upset.
"My daughter has given up her career to become a full-time protestor because she feels that strongly. So there’s quite a long lead up to this.
"Her intentions were to draw attention to this crisis when seemingly no one else does. But this particular action is counter-productive and has done nothing but upset a lot of people. I’m ashamed of her and what she has done."
Trying to justify her actions Maddie later filed a video saying: “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.
“I was studying to become a doctor because I believe in taking care of people. If we believe that the NHS is important, if we believe in taking care of each other, if we believe that NHS workers are doing essential work, why are forcing our healthcare system into collapse, why are we forcing our civilisation into collapse, why is basically no-one taking this genocide of all humanity seriously?
“‘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 sh** and blood onto everything that Captain Tom stood for.”
Footage of the the stunt was passed to Derbyshire Police by the company who made the memorial, AGC Fabrications. Its managing director Austin Cox confirmed to MailOnline that they are working with police and hoped to prosecute.
Derbyshire Police said: ‘It has been reported to us that the Captain Sir Tom Moore memorial at Thistley Meadow in Hatton has been defaced. Our officers are aware and enquiries are ongoing."
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