British government condemns outpouring of online support for dead killer Raoul Moat
By APThursday, July 15, 2010
UK PM condemns Brits who hail dead gunman as hero
LONDON — The British government has condemned an outpouring of online support for a gunman who shot three people.
Raoul Moat sparked a huge manhunt after he shot his ex-girlfriend, killed her new lover and seriously wounded a policeman. After a week on the run, he took his own life when cornered by police.
A page on social networking site Facebook entitled “R.I.P. Raoul Moat You Legend” has 38,000 fans and many comments praising the gunman.
Prime Minister David Cameron says he can’t understand how there could be any sympathy for “a callous murderer,” and one lawmaker has said Facebook should remove the page.
Cameron’s spokesman, Steve Field, said Thursday that the government had spoken to Facebook about the page, although it has not asked for it to be removed.
