Pink Floyd Star's Son Sorry for Climbing War Memorial During London Protest

LONDON (AP) — The son of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour has issued a public apology for climbing on top of one of Britain's most important war memorials during violent student protests against rising university fees.

Charlie Gilmour says he wants to say sorry for the "terrible insult" to the thousands who died for the country. He says he did not realize the Cenotaph in central London commemorates Britain's war dead.

He added in a statement Friday that he was ashamed for his "moment of idiocy."

Gilmour was among thousands of students and youths protesting in the streets of London on Thursday. The protests turned violent when some threw objects at police.

Update: The Telegraph:

Telegraph TV caught Charlie Gilmour, the son of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmouron Parliament Square, after students broke onto the green at Parliament Square during the recent student protest.

In the video, Charlie Gilmour, with long dark hair, urges fellow students to charge forward towards the police.

Gilmour, the son of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, has already apologised for climbing the Cenotaph during the protest against tuition fees, admitting that he was “mortified” by his actions.

He said: "I feel nothing but shame. My intention was not to attack or defile the Cenotaph. Running along with a crowd of people who had just been violently repelled by the police, I got caught up in the spirit of the moment.