As a teacher in Leeds, I brought my children up in the suburb where one of the terrorists grew up. I knew someone who worked with and had respected the ringleader. This event was totally shocking to our sense of the positive, well integrated community we were living in. It blew apart the community’s self-confidence and sense of who and what we were.
I think the dangers have exponentially increased since 7/7. Especially if you are part of the Jewish minority. Global intifada stretching from Australia’s arson attack on a synagogue and a terrorist attacked on a restaurant, to the murders at a Synagogue in the US, to the roll call to kill the IDF in Glastonbury with thousands chanting in support, one can only hope as you say that the security forces are one step ahead to prevent another 7/7.
Although vulnerable we are all part of the general anti west hatred. Think Southport, Manchester arena, etc.
Not all Muslims are terrorists of course. But almost all terrorists are Muslim.
One cannot blame people for being fearful of Muslim immigrants as
we can’t know who are the terrorists and who are not.
Obviously a few years back, you might have written "Not all Irish and terrorists of course. But almost all terrorists are Irish. One cannot blame people for being fearful of Irish immigrants as we can't know who are the terrorists and who are not"
& yet we now see (mostly) peaceful relations between the British and Irish so such a thing sounds daft, maybe just an inflammatory stereotype.
In the same way as Jewish stereotypes are seldom good things, your comment does seem unhelpful.
One of my memories is the throng walking home from work. It was like the strangest sponsored walk ever. Thousands of people in business attire, all walking in the same direction - out.
Thank you for this vivid reminder of the day and how it unfolded, and the shaky ground on which we now stand as people who live in the U.K. and as members of the human race. For me, the priority is human connection. Rejecting the idea of victim hood … but this is not a place for slogans. As you say, let’s hope we’re well protected in future and if anything, try and dissuade people from panicking into hatred
It was a day of both horror and the tremendous kindness of strangers.
A friend was on the train at Edgware Rd, thankfully some distance from the explosion. Another was on one following and had to be walked along the tracks to safety.
A girlfriend swapped her heels for trainers and walked her way out of central London up Hampstead until she finally reached her husband's car stuck in the traffic, all seemingly headed into town to pick people up where they could. By the time she reached him, there was a convoy of women all walking together in the same direction. The car ride home was rather full.
I was on holiday in Cornwall and heard of the attack on the car radio on my way to a National Trust garden. The garden led done to a small beach used by the American Army to train for D Day 1944 and subsequently known as Yankee Beach. There a fellow visitor informed us of the scope of the terrorist attack. I had spent much of my early working life in the City and knew the Underground Stations involved. Apart from the dead, a young woman, so badly injured that her parents failed to recognise her on the first two visits to her bedside. She recovered and uses a wheelchair to continue her life, a lesson for all of us that it is the indomitability of human life that has enabled us to get to where we are, and will continue to sustain us in the future.
I do think we need to get real. Why do we have security in airports – is it because the Hindus want do blow us up? How about the Buddhists or Sikhs or born again Christians – I thinks not. There are feral communities in this country from which these death cultists emerge. (Maybe you should write a piece about Glastonbury and the coffee house Nazis of Stoke Newington, David)
As a teacher in Leeds, I brought my children up in the suburb where one of the terrorists grew up. I knew someone who worked with and had respected the ringleader. This event was totally shocking to our sense of the positive, well integrated community we were living in. It blew apart the community’s self-confidence and sense of who and what we were.
I think the dangers have exponentially increased since 7/7. Especially if you are part of the Jewish minority. Global intifada stretching from Australia’s arson attack on a synagogue and a terrorist attacked on a restaurant, to the murders at a Synagogue in the US, to the roll call to kill the IDF in Glastonbury with thousands chanting in support, one can only hope as you say that the security forces are one step ahead to prevent another 7/7.
Although vulnerable we are all part of the general anti west hatred. Think Southport, Manchester arena, etc.
Not all Muslims are terrorists of course. But almost all terrorists are Muslim.
One cannot blame people for being fearful of Muslim immigrants as
we can’t know who are the terrorists and who are not.
Obviously a few years back, you might have written "Not all Irish and terrorists of course. But almost all terrorists are Irish. One cannot blame people for being fearful of Irish immigrants as we can't know who are the terrorists and who are not"
& yet we now see (mostly) peaceful relations between the British and Irish so such a thing sounds daft, maybe just an inflammatory stereotype.
In the same way as Jewish stereotypes are seldom good things, your comment does seem unhelpful.
It’s funny being included in one of your groups. I was at Glastonbury. All I can say is it was a show, in a field.
"almost all terrorists... ". Not quite that high a proportion. Let us all defer to the experts
Counter-Terrorism | MI5 - The Security Service https://share.google/cw3WfamrwUJcS8mro
One of my memories is the throng walking home from work. It was like the strangest sponsored walk ever. Thousands of people in business attire, all walking in the same direction - out.
Thank you for this vivid reminder of the day and how it unfolded, and the shaky ground on which we now stand as people who live in the U.K. and as members of the human race. For me, the priority is human connection. Rejecting the idea of victim hood … but this is not a place for slogans. As you say, let’s hope we’re well protected in future and if anything, try and dissuade people from panicking into hatred
A tough read, likely a tough write; grateful. David A and this Dave A are of v similar age: "It all feels more fragile than 20 years ago" - I concur.
It was a day of both horror and the tremendous kindness of strangers.
A friend was on the train at Edgware Rd, thankfully some distance from the explosion. Another was on one following and had to be walked along the tracks to safety.
A girlfriend swapped her heels for trainers and walked her way out of central London up Hampstead until she finally reached her husband's car stuck in the traffic, all seemingly headed into town to pick people up where they could. By the time she reached him, there was a convoy of women all walking together in the same direction. The car ride home was rather full.
I was on holiday in Cornwall and heard of the attack on the car radio on my way to a National Trust garden. The garden led done to a small beach used by the American Army to train for D Day 1944 and subsequently known as Yankee Beach. There a fellow visitor informed us of the scope of the terrorist attack. I had spent much of my early working life in the City and knew the Underground Stations involved. Apart from the dead, a young woman, so badly injured that her parents failed to recognise her on the first two visits to her bedside. She recovered and uses a wheelchair to continue her life, a lesson for all of us that it is the indomitability of human life that has enabled us to get to where we are, and will continue to sustain us in the future.
History and horticulture | Cornwall Living https://share.google/kXZXzARFsBM8riKqp
"Trebah Garden"
I do think we need to get real. Why do we have security in airports – is it because the Hindus want do blow us up? How about the Buddhists or Sikhs or born again Christians – I thinks not. There are feral communities in this country from which these death cultists emerge. (Maybe you should write a piece about Glastonbury and the coffee house Nazis of Stoke Newington, David)