Youth shows off skateboard tricks at The Cenotaph; police looking into matter

Showing off some skateboard tricks at The Cenotaph, a youth in Singapore has attracted the authorities' attention.

The man shared clips of his shenanigans on Instagram on Dec 5, garnering over 400 likes and 20 comments.

Screenshots of his post were reposted to Reddit on Dec 15, with the caption: "Skateboarder posted himself doing tricks on the war memorial."

One photo shows the youth, dressed in a black shirt, skateboarding off a flight of stairs at the monument. Another photo shows him performing a trick in mid-air, and another man can be seen filming the skateboarder while standing on the war memorial.

[embed]https://www.reddit.com/r/SingaporeRaw/comments/18j07kk/skateboarder_posted_himself_doing_tricks_on_the/?utm_source=share&utm_med[/embed]

Several Redditors commented that the monument is a known "skate spot". 

"I believe skaters have been gapping that monument for years," commented a netizen. A gap is a trick when the skateboarder jumps between two surfaces that typically have a difference in height.

Another shared: "Not an excuse but it was one of the best skate spots around and I used to go there almost weekly with the crew."

Some, however, said skateboarding on the war memorial is disrespectful to the deceased.

The Cenotaph is a war memorial located in Esplanade Park, honouring those who fought and died during World War I and World War II.

It was unveiled on March 31, 1922 by the Prince of Wales, who became King Edward VIII and later, Duke of Windsor, and was gazetted as a National Monument in December 2010.

According to the Preservation of Monuments Act, those found guilty of wilfully defacing, damaging or otherwise interfering with any national monument can be fined up to $30,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.

In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police confirmed on Monday (Dec 18) that a report was lodged, adding that they are looking into the matter.

Man fined over wakeboarding at Civilian War Memorial

In 2021, a 25-year-old Singaporean man who wakeboarded at the Civilian War Memorial and damaged it in the process was fined $4,000.

Stephan Kovalkov was filmed wakeboarding at the water feature of the monument located within the War Memorial Park in July that year.

At one point in the video, he was seen jumping into the air with his board and scraping it against the wall of the monument. The clip received widespread criticism from netizens, who deemed his actions disrespectful.

The police and National Heritage Board said: "National monuments are important markers of our identity and highlight key milestones in Singapore's history.

"Due respect must be accorded to our national monuments, in particular war memorials, and all acts of disrespect are unacceptable."

ALSO READ: Scooter riders perform stunts and climb parapet at The Cenotaph, treating it like a 'skate park'

lim.kewei@asiaone.com