May 4381Nationalists protest removal of "Little St. Simon" shrineShrine of "Little St. Simon"Up to 300 demonstrators from the far-right National Movement arrived outside Meech Cathedral yesterday to protest against a decision by the Aurorian Patriarchal Church to remove a medieval shrine dedicated to Simon Hedgewick, a 10 year old Hosian boy alleged at the time to have been burned to death by a group of 9 Aldegarian men as part of an elaborate Yazdi human sacrifice fire ritual.
The Church has long acknowledged that that the claim the boy was killed by Yazdis is a myth, invented at the time to whip up prejudice against non-Hosians. Over the years, Aurorian bishops have issued a number of apologies for the incident, which saw 9 innocent Aldegarian Yazdis judicially executed on conviction of murder, and many more lynched, attacked and harassed by mobs.
Although Simon was never officially recognised as a saint, he became popularly regarded as one and was known as "Little St. Simon". A shrine was built to him at Meech Cathedral soon after his death, attracting massive flocks of pilgrims, to the huge financial benefit of the Cathedral authorities.
For centuries there have been calls for the shrine to be removed, on the grounds of its insensitivity to Aldegarians and Yazdis. Others, though, have made the case that it is a part of the Cathedral's history, and that to remove it now after all of this time would be wrong.
About 70 years ago, the two sides seemed to have reached a compromise, whereby the shrine would remain, but a plaque would be placed alongside it explaining the traditional story surrounding Simon's death is untrue and expressing "the Church's deep sorrow at this shameful tragedy" and "the Church's repentance for the terrible misrepresentation and persecution of Yazdis".
Over the last few years, the controversy has ignited again, largely due to the arrival at the Cathedral of groups of National Movement activists demanding "Justice 4 Little St. Simon". The Movement's chairman, Frederick Manningham-Buller, has loudly insisted on multiple occasions that "Yazdism is a savage, violent and evil religion", that "Yazdis target Hosian children because that's what their religion tells them to do", that "Yazdis like to start fires", that "Little Simon was the innocent victim of Yazdis" and that "the truth is being suppressed as part of a global liberal elite establishment plot to try to make us feel guilty for being Mordusians and Hosians".
During the last 6 months particularly, there has been a tense stand-off between the Cathedral authorities and the National Movement activists- or "pilgrims" as they prefer to call themselves. This has generated lively televised scenes of rowdy activists being variously escorted from the premises or refused access to the Cathedral at the entrance.
Now the situation has reached a point where Archbishop Matthew Boulanger has ordered the shrine to be removed from the Cathedral entirely. By an arrangement with the Sammodra Heritage Society, it will be loaned to the Sammodra Heritage Museum in Port Alexander.
The National Movement claims nearly 50,000 members nationally, although critics suggest this figure is highly exaggerated. What is undisputed is that the organisation has seen a surge in support, public interest and media coverage in the years since the once-formidable Mordusia First party folded.
The group's leaders fiercely deny being connected to Mordusia First, however. "Yeah, it's true some of the Mordusia First people have come over to us," Manningham-Buller explained recently, "but we're not Mordusia First Mark Two - we're something very different, much more new and radical". Pressed to explain what he meant, he claimed Mordusia First "sold out to the Global Liberal Elite" and that "the so-called Hewson plot to murder the Canrillaise was pure invention, part of a broader conspiracy to try to demonise Mordusian nationalists and destroy our pride and identity".
Thus far the Movement has steered away from electoral politics, although rumours abound that it may start fielding candidates for selected seats in the near future.