As a (former) Londoner I’m not even surprised by this… :hopeless:
Monk is attacked by young hooligan
Feb 23 2007
By ROBERT DEX
PEACE-LOVING Buddhist monk Kelsang Pawo has spent years in war zones and trouble spots without coming to harm.
But he got a nasty surprise when he rattled his collection tin in South London.
The 61-year-old has walked through much of Africa, Asia and Europe collecting money to build a school library for needy children in Ethiopia.
Last week it was the turn of South London and Kelsang collected money in Streatham and Brixton without any problems.
But he was raising money in Wandsworth last Friday afternoon when he was the victim of an unprovoked attack.
Kelsang, who was born Barry Grivalle in Bethnal Green, said: “This young boy, I would say about 12, came up to me.
“He was asking me why I look the way I do and what I was doing so we had a chat.
“He was very nice and polite and said he had something for me.
“I thought he was maybe going to give me a few pennies for my collection.”
Instead, the young thug pulled out an aerosol from inside his coat and sprayed Kelsang in the face before fleeing down Putney High Street.
Kelsang said: “I wasn’t hurt but I was shocked. I had only been in London a matter of days.
“I have walked through Asia and in Africa where I have been in places like Ethiopia and Eritrea but this is the first time I have been attacked.
“I don’t want to go looking for retribution or anything of that nature.We just want him to think about what he did.”
Kelsang, whose name means spiritual warrior, was ordained as a monk by the Dalai Lama in 1989.
All the money he raises goes to the Gesar Foundation charity which helps children in the UK and Ethiopia.
Visit http://www.gesarfoundation.org for more information.
