I am neither religious nor patriotic, but I attended the centenary of the First World War to remember my grandfathers who fought in the war and the grandmothers who supported my family at home.

When standing around the memorial in Mill Hill at 11 o’clock, during the two-minute silence, I was shocked at the scenes that unfolded.

When the final words of Binyon’s were spoken, ‘We will remember them’, a middle-aged man wearing headphones ran through one side of the gathering to the other.

Police had stopped traffic at each side of the road, yet they let him pass wearing his red running gear and continue his run down the middle of the Ridgeway Road.

The hundreds of people who witnessed the scene were clearly shocked, but no one said anything for fear of interrupting the silence.

Although a bus was waiting on each side of the road and queues of cars were waiting patiently, he decided to ignore the event and run straight through the middle of the gathering.

The disrespect he showed the dead and living was appalling.

I and others, were outraged at the event that happened, especially the men who had fought in a war and had attended the service to remember those they would have fought alongside.

I am writing to you with the hope that the voice of those who felt insulted by this man is heard.

There are also bigger questions here about how Mill Hill as a community has changed and I think it’s something your readers would identify with.

Dominique El-Shirbini

Address supplied