Corre torched a chest full of recordings, clothes, posters and other materials belonging to him on a boat in the Thames. A banner on the boat read "Extinction! Your future!" He also burned effigies of former UK Prime Minister David Cameron, current Prime Minister Theresa May and other political figures.
"Punk has become another marketing tool to sell you something you don't need. The illusion of an alternative choice. Conformity in another uniform," Corre said as he lit the items, the Guardian reported.
"Punk was never, never meant to be nostalgic — and you can't learn how to be one at a Museum of London workshop."
McLaren was the manager of seminal punk band the Sex Pistols; Westwood, a fashion designer, is credited with shaping and popularizing punk aesthetic. Corre founded lingerie company Agent Provocateur.
Corre announced his plan in March in a protest against the Queen of England giving her blessing to 2016, "the Year of Punk" in the UK. The city of London has organized a series of events called Punk London to commemorate 40 years since the birth of punk.
In a press release, he said "The Queen giving 2016, the Year of Punk, her official blessing is the most frightening thing I've ever heard. Talk about alternative and punk culture being appropriated by the mainstream." Rather than a movement for change, punk is now a museum piece or tribute act, he said.
— CP24 (@CP24) November 26, 2016
"A general malaise has now set in amongst the British public. People are feeling numb. And with numbness comes complacency. People don't feel they have a voice anymore. The most dangerous thing is that they have stopped fighting for what they believe in. They have given up the chase."
Lighting the museum-worthy items, Corre said, "London is being socially cleansed and turned into a theme park for corporations, chain stores and speculators that don't pay their taxes," the Mirror reported.
Extra security was called in to ensure that the ceremony wasn't disrupted by individuals opposed to the conflagration, of which there were many.
— Marc Ellerby (@MarcEllerby) November 26, 2016
"Some people are very concerned about the price of these artifacts but the conversation that we need to have is about values," Corre said, according to the Mirror.
"Punk provided an opportunity for the no future generation of the 1970s to create a way out of it — not trusting the media, not trusting the politicians, investigating the truth for yourself — DIY."
Westwood attended the event and gave a speech about climate change from the shore.
