Outrage as gang of Romanians camp at London 9/11 memorial in Grosvenor Square

 
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Josh Pettitt31 May 2013

A group of American tourists were outraged when they stumbled across a gang of Romanians camped out in a 9/11 memorial garden in London.

The dozen eastern European travellers pitched up in the garden in Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, created to commemorate the lives lost in the 2001 Twin Towers terror attack in New York.

Eyewitnesses said they were sheltering from the cold underneath the memorial’s arches near the American embassy.

The 12 homeless dumped their belongings and spread litter in the garden, according to professional tour guide Warren Grynberg who had been planning to lead his group through the area last Friday.

Mr Grynberg, a tour guide for 16 years, said: “Usually I take tourists inside the garden to read the plaque there, but we couldn’t do that. The Americans were quite disgusted and upset about it. They seemed very disappointed. The Romanians were there with complete disregard for what it is and with no respect. I felt quite ashamed, to be honest.”

Mr Grynberg, from Ilford, said he had never seen the travellers in the garden before. The memorial was opened in 2003 and is maintained by the Royal Parks. The families of UK-based victims of the 9/11 attacks also help with the upkeep of the grounds.

A spokeswoman for the US embassy said: “The Metropolitan Police and our security official contacts are aware of the presence of Romanians using the park — our understanding is that they are allowed to remain as long as they are not committing crimes.”

Earlier this month Scotland Yard deployed mounted police to crack down on east Europeans sleeping rough in the West End.

Officers targeted troublespots including Bryanston Square in Marylebone and Marble Arch. Beggars can be seen regularly again at Marble Arch, after blighting the area last year before the Olympics.

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