Thaindian News

December 13, 2010 (Pen Men at Work): Charlie Gilmour, the 21 year old stepson of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour has been arrested after being snapped swinging from the end of the honourable Union flag during London’s student riots demonstration.

Charlie is one of the thousands of students who have taken to streets rebelling against the threefold rise in the tuition fees of universities. Charlie was arrested after a photograph showed him disrespecting a Union flag that is the cenotaph of the soldiers who have died in the war.

Charlie, the ex model and the present student of Cambridge University, on Thursday got pictured swinging from the British flag during his protests over the fees hike. After he was recognized as being the son of the Pink Floyd star, he had to convey an apology later.

The arrest was made in his Sussex home for alleged attempt to criminally damage the Union flag and cause uproar and disorder. Later, charges of attempted theft were also made against him.

However, Charlie, in his public apology on Friday, maintained that he was ignorant of the significance of the British flag. He cited that he had no inkling that it was the cenotaph of the dead or else he wouldn’t have acted the way he did.

He confessed to his crime and sought apology admitting that he was genuinely apologetic for his insulting stance on the thousands of war people who have perished for their freedom.

Later, his mother and journalist Polly Samson, too, spoke in his defence citing that he got carried away in the heat of the moment failing to realise the importance of the flag.

Besides him, 35 other people have been taken into custody for attacking the car that carried Prince Charles and his wife Camilla.