How can someone behave like this?
"A German farmer is refusing to allow British families to recover the remains of crew members of a Lancaster bomber shot down during the Second World War - unless they pay him €7,500 (£5,080).It is disgusting that this farmer wants to be paid for the recovery of war dead from his property. He certainly should not profit from their recovery. Mr Bender, the farmer, claims that:
The families of the crew are furious at the farmer's demands and are refusing to pay. They say that the farmer, Horst Bender, must not be allowed to make a profit from allowing them to give their dead relatives a proper burial with full military honours...
The farmer gave permission for an excavation in 2005 but then suddenly demanded money. At first he wanted €5,000, but recently he put up the price to €7,500." (The Telegraph)
"Everyone wants to come on my land and dig, but no one has offered any money to cover the damages... I have nothing against giving my permission, but the costs have got to be covered. I can't say how much it would cost without making a thorough estimate, but it will not be less than €7,500."If the cost of returning the field to a usable state "will not be less than €7,500" why was he, until recently, asking for €5,000 [after originally not asking for any]? It is fair enough that he should get some help in restoring the land, but why then did [and does] he not ask, instead of for a specific payment but for help with restoring the land after the excavation?
Mr Bender should remember his history. Would he prefer to live in a Nazi world? If not, then he certainly shouldn't be asking to be paid for the excavation! The way in which he has acted is extremely selfish and insensitive. The relatives just want to see their loved ones buried properly, and he is demanding money before they can be. It's sickening.
Maybe we should threaten to bomb him from another Lancaster unless he allows the excavation...?
Source: The Telegraph
