Hundreds of youths have praised the Chester Elephant for deterring potential riots

Aug 18 2011 by Rachel Flint, Chester Chronicle

Thousands of youths have praised the Chester Elephant for deterring potential riots

MORE than one thousand people have praised an unlikely trunked hero for keeping the streets of Chester free from impending riots.

While riots raged across the country, the residents of Chester were safe in the knowledge that the streets where watched and guarded from trouble makers by the city’s famous stone elephant.

More than 1,600 people have liked a Facebook page which heralds the elephant as the guardian of the city, responsible for discouraging rioters and judging vandals, looters and general troublemakers.

The page named Not Rioting in Chester After Being Discouraged By the Chester Elephant is filled with adoring posts praising the one meter tall statue for guarding the city, saying that the elephant will come alive if youths turn violent.

There is even a mocked up poster on the page reading ‘Keep calm and trust in the Chester Elephant’, which Facebook users were encouraged to display as their profile pictures to support the statue’s work.

The positive Facebook page, which was set up during the riots, comes as two men were locked up after they used the social networking site in an attempt to organise riots in Warrington.

And in Crewe a Batman and Robin team are being heralded as heroes after parading the streets in their masks and capes to protect the community from impending disaster.