LONDON (AP) — If life imitates art, a vandal in the English countryside may be haunted by The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.
Police in the town of Shrewsbury are investigating how a tombstone that marked the fictional grave of Ebenezer Scrooge was destroyed. The movie prop used in the 1984 adaption of “A Christmas Carol” was kept in place and became a tourist attraction.
Town Clerk Helen Ball said the town is discussing what should be done to fix or replace the stone that is “hugely popular” with residents and visitors. This time of year, organized tours of locations used in the movie visit the grounds of St. Chad’s Church to see the marker.
“There’s not much to see other than broken bits of the gravestone,” Ball told The Associated Press. “You can’t see that it says Ebenezer Scrooge at the moment because it’s so damaged. It’s hugely disrespectful.”
The film, one of dozens of adaptations of the Charles Dickens' classic, starred George C. Scott as the cold-hearted curmudgeon. After going to sleep on Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghosts of past, present and future and shown the error of his ways to become a kinder, more generous person.
The future ghost shows Scrooge what will become of his life if he doesn't change. He’s eventually led to a cemetery where the ghost brushes snow from a gravestone that reveals his name. Scrooge, distraught by all he's seen, vows to turn his life around.
West Mercia Police said the stone was vandalized sometime between Thursday and Sunday. Photos showed it broken into several pieces.
If the vandal is caught, Ball said she wouldn’t mind seeing poetic justice served.
“If the ghosts of past, present and future would like to visit (the vandals) in the middle of the night and drop them and break them in pieces, I think that would be a perfect punishment,” she said.
In this picture, provided by the West Mercia Police on Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, a smashed movie prop tombstone that was used for the "A Christmas Carol" movie is seen in Shrewsbury, England. (West Mercia Police via AP)
In this picture, provided by the West Mercia Police on Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, a smashed movie prop tombstone that was used for the "A Christmas Carol" movie is seen in Shrewsbury, England. (West Mercia Police via AP)
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani police Monday fired tear gas canisters at supporters of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan to stop them from entering the capital, where they hoped to stage a sit-in to demand his release, officials said.
The firing of tear gas came shortly after demonstrators — who traveled 150 kilometers (93 miles) from the restive northwest — began arriving and gathering near Islamabad. They defied a lockdown, previous tear gas and widespread arrests despite a ban on rallies in the city.
The development came a day after the leadership of Khan’s party went ahead with the “long march” even as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko arrived for a three-day visit. He was received at an airport near the capital by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday evening.
Authorities said at least one police officer was killed and several officers and demonstrators were injured in clashes. The marchers appeared determined to enter Islamabad, where the lockdown, which has been in place for two days, has disrupted daily life.
The government was in talks with Khan's party to avoid any further violence, officials said.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi told reporters after midnight that the government is willing to allow Khan supporters to rally on the outskirts of Islamabad but he threatened extreme measures if they entered the city to protest.
Khan, who has been in jail for over a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases, remains popular. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, says the cases are politically motivated.
A convoy of vehicles carrying protesters was expected to enter the capital Monday night. Security officials say they expect between 9,000 and 11,000 demonstrators, while the PTI says the number will be much higher.
Video on social media showed Khan supporters donning gas masks and protective goggles.
Travel between Islamabad and other cities has become nearly impossible. Ambulances and cars were seen turning back from areas along the key Grand Trunk Road highway in Punjab province, where shipping containers were used to block roads.
Video circulating online showed some protesters operating heavy machinery to remove the containers.
“We are determined, and we will reach Islamabad, though police are using tear gas to stop our march,” PTI senior leader Kamran Bangash told The Associated Press. “We will overcome all hurdles one by one, and our supporters are removing shipping containers from roads."
Bangash also said Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, who was recently released on bail in a graft case, will lead the march along with Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Khan’s party remains in power.
Earlier, almost 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Islamabad, Bibi, wearing a white head-to-toe burqa, addressed protesters while sitting in a truck, urging them to remain determined to achieve their goal and free Khan. She then chanted, “God is great” and left.
Khan’s main political opponent, Sharif, heads the current government.
Sharif’s spokesperson, Attaullah Tarar, said on Sunday that whenever any high-profile foreign delegation comes to Pakistan, the PTI “begins the politics of long marches and onslaught on Islamabad to harm the economy.”
Some economists say protests cause billions of rupees in damages to the country's fragile economy.
Protesters on Sunday night burned trees as police fired tear gas to disperse the crowds. Khan supporters retaliated by using slingshots and pelting security personnel with rocks.
In a bid to foil the protest, police have arrested more than 4,000 Khan supporters since Friday and suspended mobile and internet services “in areas with security concerns,” which the PTI said affected its call on social media for a protest. On Thursday, a court prohibited rallies in the capital and Naqvi said anyone violating the ban would be arrested.
Authorities say only courts can order the release of Khan, who was ousted in 2022 through a no-confidence vote in Parliament. He has been imprisoned since his first conviction in a graft case, in August 2023.
Khan has been sentenced in several cases. His convictions were later overturned on appeal but he cannot be freed due to other pending cases against him.
Associated Press writers Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, and Asim Tanveer in Multan, Pakistan, contributed to this report.
In this photo released by Press Information Department, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, center, greets Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, left, upon his arrival at an airbase in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (Press Information Department via AP)
Supporters of imprisoned former premier Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, burn bushes to reduce the impact of tear gas shells fired by police officers to disperse them during a rally demanding Khan's release, at a motorway in Ghazi in Attock district, Pakistan, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Maaz Awan)
Supporters of imprisoned former premier Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, burn bushes to reduce the impact of tear gas shells fired by police officers to disperse them during a rally demanding Khan's release, at a motorway in Ghazi in Attock district, Pakistan, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Maaz Awan)
