Editorial: Vandals' heartless cruelty

Thoughtless vandalism can be emotionally damaging.

Sometimes there are people in this world who do some crazy things we can't understand.

Up there with some of the most bizarre and hurtful was the vandalism in the children's part of the Sala St Cemetery in Rotorua at the weekend. Crosses were pulled out of the ground or knocked over, ornaments smashed and toys strewn across the grass.

This newspaper was alerted to the damage by a distraught member of the public. We contacted Sands Rotorua, the organisation that helps families who have had stillbirths and neonatal deaths, who in turn let parents know who might be affected.

Jennifer Anastasi, who volunteers for the group, described the vandalism as the most heartless and cruellest thing she had ever seen. She's not wrong. I can't for the life of me think who would do this.

Losing a child would have to be the hardest thing for parents and for some the cemetery is a place of solace, somewhere they can go to feel close to their child.

For such a sacred place to be treated with disrespect is mindblowing.

The link to our online version of the story has been shared on Facebook and readers have posted how appalled they are at the news, calling for those responsible to fess up and put it right.

The community reaction has also been swift. On Monday there were up to 40 people at the cemetery cleaning up the mess. Some were relatives, others were just horrified at what had happened. Rotorua police have now attended the scene and have managed to collect some forensic evidence.

This can't just be blamed on "bored children". If it is in fact young people involved, they should nevertheless be dealt with using the full force of the law.