Memorial plaque to be replaced without N-word

Tuesday 21 July 2020

A plaque on a memorial bench which included a racist term will be replaced without the N-word after it was stolen last week.

The offensive slur appeared on a granite bench at the top of Bouley Bay hill in tribute to Denis Morin, who passed away in 2003.

Mr Morin was a member of the Jersey Motorcycle and Light Car Club, where he was referred to by the N-word as a nickname, as he was often covered in oil. 

The offensive word was scratched out by Todd O’Donoghue, a friend of Mr Morin, last month, when the Black Lives Matter movement became a global focus, but the plaque has now been removed entirely. 

Pictured: The memorial bench is located at the top of Bouley Bay Hill.

Terry Le Main, who knew Mr Morin well, said: “It’s now been stolen but I’ve spoken to the family and there is a plan to replace it, obviously without that word. From his early days as a mechanic at Cleveland Garage, Denis was always splattered in oil, so the name just stuck. 

“There was no malice behind it, but times change so getting rid of it is the obvious solution. It also means that the Morin family can move on and remember Denis for the lovely chap he was.” 

The resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement following the killing of George Floyd by a US police officer in May has led to a reappraisal of language and historical links to slavery and prejudice.

In Jersey, a statue of slave trader Sir George Carteret, who is responsible for the naming of New Jersey, was daubed in white paint and its appropriateness has been called into question.