Over 21,000 people have joined a Facebook page which has been created as a tribute to Raoul Moat.  Flowers are being left both outside his home and at the spot he died many bearing cards declaring him to be a "legend".

I cannot remember this happening in any other case so, what is it about the Raoul case that has caused this reaction?  The constant tv converage perhaps?  Or maybe Moat's reported hatred for the Police? 

What about Facebook?  What about those floral tributes and cards?  Should Facebook be forced to shut down the tribute page? Should the flowers be removed? 

Personally I think yes, Facebook should have closed it down immediately.  The flowers and cards?  Yes, remove them too.  But, what do you think?

That is exactly what it is Phoenix  A man shots three people, few who knew him have a good word to say about him and yet, there are a significant amount of people who didn't know him but now hail him as a hero.   

Hi Phoenix

I wonder if it might be that the extensive news coverage (when Moat was finally cornered the whole thing was relayed live on tv throughout the night) might have given the whole tragic story a touch of unreality about it. 

Perhaps the difference between a real life situation and tv drama is, for some people, blurred and they forget that when it is over, these are not actors who will go home but real people, one of whom was killed, two badly injured and the "hero" with the gun to his head was responsible.  It is very sad 
 

The sickening constant barrrage of news reports, stopping children being sent home from school to ask them what they thought about it all, worrying their parents, the "hang on a moment" from the on the spot reporter, fingers to the ear piece whilst they listened to the next piece of breaking news.  the almost on top of you views of the last hours, the dreadful drunken phone call from a soccer hasbeen, and then the recriminations and abuse at the police, his brother suddenly pops his head up and calls the police names because they couldn't risk his presence at the scene, my only answer to his gripes on that one is "where were you when he was on the run".

The guy shot and killed one man and seriously injured two others, and he is the HERO! Facebook refuse to take off that tribute page to him, the on-line news pages all have comments from people who use these sites where they are anonimous to abuse, berate and are general foul mouthed with the brain power of a pea.

I am sorry but the media have again whipped up a freazy and who knows what will happen now, and they are to blame, they are the ones one whose shoulders all this lies, but who can and will stop them and bring them into line.

We will never learn you know and we are becoming more and more like America very sad

Hi John 

The tribute page - I think it is called RIP Raoul Moat You Legend 

Now you come to mention it, I haven't read anything about his personal Facebook page - did he have one?

Sorry about that post but I am getting more and more angry at the whipping up of hero worship for a killer, not some accidental killing, or in a moment of blind panic no cold blooded murder.

Sky news had 24 hour a day coverage when he was on the run and then a blow by blow account of his last hours and then the sickos and pea brains crawl out of the woodwork and proclaim he is hard done by and crying out for help and the Facebook lot take off the tribute page saying they didn't want to and may put it back, what is happening to this country of ours, why is this allowed to happen?

will someone explain in plain and simple words just how we can make a hero out of a cold blooded killer and how these web sites that allow people to leave comments allow them to abuse, berate, racially motivated comments and anti police and establishment. freedom of speech.

somebody tell me how we have sunk this low?

it isn't so much upset as angry and bewildered how have we come to this, if you read some of the comments on these news websites you would be horrified,a little story, my son in the army was featured in our local paper (nicely) anyway there were several comments all from anonimous people and one guy was abusive, really evil the bile that spewed out of his computer was amazing, and it was allowed but there were several replies that shot him down in flames and one that really gave him whatfor but my point is that he was allowed there was no moderator to say that is over the line, and this is where I feel we have gone too far, here we have someone that says, enough,even on the old Ememrdale Forum they are pulled up if they go too far, but on many web sites you leave a comment under a fancy name and you can say whatever comes into your mind and swear as much as you like. I do not understand it at all and it is very sad.