11 December 2023 , 18:04
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Angry Lockerbie residents have slammed a festive jumper featuring the Pan Am logo as “offensive” to the 270 victims of the 1988 bomb blast.
Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over the Scottish town 35 years ago, just four days before Christmas. Among those killed were 243 passengers, 16 crew members and 11 people on the ground, in the UK’s worst terror attack.
A petition signed by more than 1,300 people had called for the £36 jumper to be taken off the Next website. The retailer confirmed it had been removed from sale. Phil Geddes, 39, of Lockerbie, who started the campaign, said: “I was only five, but the disaster is my earliest memory.
The Pan Am jumper has been pulled“I remember the noise of the plane, my brother hiding under the bed, us running outside and seeing a fireball in the sky. There are people in my town who found bodies, and I know people who are still terrified of flying.”
The HGV parts manager said: “A few people said, ‘it’s time to get over it’. But for a lot of people 35 years is not a long time at all.”
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One of those who signed his petition on change.org wrote: “I worked at the local hospital the night of the disaster, it’s as fresh in my mind 35 years later.” Another said: “As a former resident of Lockerbie, this is nothing short of disgraceful.”
Next said yesterday the jumper was no longer available, saying: “In response to customer contact, NEXT removed the ALL + EVERY third-party branded items.”