Disturbing Facebook call to storm Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance

A social media call to arms is asking people to climb up Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance war memorial and cover the “sacred place” in garbage. This is why.

Facebook users have been urged to “climb” the Shrine of Remembrance. Picture: AAP Image/David Crosling

A sarcastic dig urging people to “climb up the side of the Shrine of Remembrance” in response to public outcry at the closure of Uluru, has sparked concern at the war memorial.

The event, organised on Facebook, reads: “The Shrine of Remembrance is hallowed ground, a place of reverence that deserves respect. That means we should all be allowed to climb up the side of it.

“Come on down to this sacred place and cover it in garbage, break your ankle trying to get to the top and yell at anyone who tries to stop you.

“It belongs to everyone, we should be allowed to do whatever we want, and if people aren’t allowed to climb monuments to our fallen soldiers it will affect tourism.

A recent decision to close Uluru to climbers has caused controversy. Picture: Tourism NT/Jason Van Miert

“BYO stubbies, make sure to leave your empties behind.”

The post cynically highlights some of the negative impacts increased tourism has had on the area, with many visitors leaving behind discarded rubbish and camping materials and becoming stuck while climbing.

A huge line of tourists climbing up Uluru ahead of the upcoming closure. Picture: Glenn Minett

The event is scheduled for the date Uluru is set to close to the public — October 26.

And while it appears to be said in jest, Shrine of Remembrance chief Dean Lee isn’t impressed, saying he was dismayed by the comments likening the memorial to Uluru.

He said Uluru was “a very sacred place of enormous significance to the traditional land owners and Australians in general”.

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“In responding to this somewhat random protest we should all be cognizant of the connection between the Shrine’s mission of honouring service and sacrifice and the freedoms of speech we all enjoy today,” Mr Lee said.

“In commemorating such service, the Shrine is privileged to host the annual Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Service as part of National Reconciliation Week which honours the service of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women.

“The Shrine has the utmost reverence for Aboriginal culture and respects the decision to close Uluru to climbers. We would hope that visitors to both sites have the maturity to conduct themselves in a respectful way which appropriately honours the places they are visiting.”