AS a group of people in Chippenham prepare to hold a Black Lives Matter protest in the town centre on Saturday, concerned veterans have announced they will be on the streets too, fearing the event will lead to damage to the town’s war memorial.

The BLM protest organisers are inviting people who are concerned about the issue to gather at 2pm on Saturday at the Buttercross, at the top of the High Street.

Their meeting place is not far from the town’s war memorial, and subsequently posts have appeared on social media asking members of the town’s veterans community to turn up there to ‘protect’ it.

Posting on Facebook, Oswald Greymain said: “We have started this public event to help protect the cenotaph outside St Andrew’s Church, that contain the names of men who died in the First, Second and Gulf conflicts. There will be no violence.”

It appears veterans are worried the Chippenham protest could lead to events like those in London, where messages were scrawled on the Centotaph. Others have posted on Facebook urging them not to worry, and accusing them of failing to understand BLM issues.