Disaster tourists flocked to Grenfell to take selfies
People who went to scene of blaze pretended they were there to help but took ‘grotesque’ pictures instead
DISASTER tourists descended on Grenfell Tower after the fire to take “grotesque” selfies, a report has found.
Research by Theos, the religion think tank, found that some people who attended the scene of the fire under the pretence of helping survivors were in fact voyeurs looking to exploit the situation.
Imams, priests and other community leaders interviewed for the study raised concerns about a “small but significant number of individuals” at the site of the west London fire – in which 71 people died – who were “not there to help, but for their own ends”.
One interviewee told researchers that they had encountered people “blagging their way in [to a relief centre], pretending to be a [registered] volunteer”. In other cases, interviewees said, they encountered “grotesque disaster tourists”, who spent time “taking selfies” instead of providing donations or helping relief efforts.
To counter this, many leaders suggested creating a list of registered volunteers who could be trusted to help.
Religious buildings received and processed donations and offered help to locals in the aftermath of the disaster, including two churches, Notting Hill Methodist Church and Anglican church St Clement’s.
Nearby Al-manaar mosque also became a centre for support and a shelter for residents who had lost their homes.
The report found that donation centres set up in churches and mosques were “overwhelmed” with items such as blankets which, at the height of summer, “weren’t pressingly needed”, with leaders suggesting that cash donations would have been more useful.
“One faith leader described how a tweet from a prominent politician suggesting donations be taken to a particular faith centre went viral, and though the tweet was ‘well-meaning, it was unhelpful, as it led to us being inundated with donations; [we] were completely overwhelmed by stuff ’”, the report added.
Several interviewees also pointed out that council or tenants’ officers “may have been present but were not visible due to a lack of recognisable uniform”, while faith leaders were prominent due to clothing such as dog collars worn by clergy.
Introducing the report, Elizabeth Oldfield, the director of the think tank, said the research found that faith groups responded “rapidly, compassionately and holistically”. Several people have been convicted of fraud after they pretended to be residents in order to gain compensation and free hotel accommodation after the tragedy.
On Friday, Mohammad Gamoota, 31, was jailed for 18 months for pretending to be the son of one of the 71 victims to claim £5,000 and free hotel stays. Last week, Jamaican nationals Elaine Douglas, 51, and Tommy Brooks, 52, pleaded guilty to fraud after claiming £125,000 by telling authorities they had been living on the tower’s 19th floor.
The public inquiry into the disaster, led by Sir Martin Moore-bick, is due to begin hearing evidence today.
Experts in fire safety engineering and forensic science are due to make presentations later this month, followed by evidence about the outbreak of the fire.