In London, this wall in tribute to the victims of Covid-19 lights up for Christmas

covid – “Grandma, I will always love you”, “Phil, always in my heart”, “We miss you every day”… Vhere is what we can read on this wall which borders the Thames in London. As the fifth anniversary of the pandemic approaches, emotions remain high. More than 240,000 hearts have been hand painted, each representing a person who died of Covid in the United Kingdom, as you can see in the video at the top of the article.

Originally, this wall of remembrance, which extends over 500 meters, was to be temporary. It was carried out without authorization in March 2021, in order to hold the government of Boris Johnson, then Prime Minister, to account for its chaotic management of the pandemic. He is accused in particular of having delayed in realizing the seriousness of the situation, by confining too late then lifting the confinement too quickly.

This wall is “an outpouring of love, anger, rage”summarizes Lorelei King, whose husband died of Covid at the end of March 2020. This 71-year-old woman is part of the group “Friends of the Wall”around ten volunteers who come every Friday to clean the monument, repaint the hearts which fade with the rain, and rewrite the messages. “It’s quite meditative”she said, delicately repainting a disappearing heart.

The group continues to draw new hearts, when Covid takes away new people. A few days before Christmas, the volunteers met for another, more joyful mission: installing garlands along the wall. They turned them on Monday afternoon and they will stay in place until early January.

“Comfort”

“We put up wreaths every Christmas to reflect and remember those who are not with us during the Christmas period”explains Kirsten Hackman, 58 years old. His mother died in May 2020 from Covid. “For many of us, there is an empty place at the table at Christmas. (…) It’s a very difficult moment”she adds.

Passers-by stop, intrigued, to look at this atypical wall, questioning the group who move on, laughing. This wall is a “therapy session” collective, say volunteers.

But nearly five years into the pandemic, the pain remains the same, says Lorelei King. Like others, she explains that she has not been able to grieve. “We couldn’t have a real funeral”she emphasizes, due to the confinement rules in force when her husband died. So she puts her energy into this wall. “That comforts me. (…) And I don't want the people who are dear to us to be forgotten. »

“We understand each other. We are in the same boat”says Michelle Rumball, 53, whose mother died of Covid in April 2020. She was present from the first day, when the first hearts were painted, after an appeal on social networks from the political activist group Led By Donkeys .

For ten days, hundreds of people who had lost loved ones came to the wall, even though they risked being arrested for damaging a listed wall. “I was very angry. It was a way of demonstrating”remembers Michelle Rumball.

The wall depends on donations. The group wants to return it « permanent » and officially recognized. It would thus be better protected. The friends of the wall are in discussions with the authorities. And a few days before Christmas they had a meeting “very positive”smiled Lorelei King, optimistically.

According to the WHO, Covid has killed more than 232,000 people in the United Kingdom. For comparison, there were around 168,000 in France. Worldwide, more than seven million deaths from this disease have been reported to the WHO, but the true toll of the pandemic seems much higher.

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