The Parsons Green terror attack occurred on the morning of Friday, September 15. The improvised explosive device ( IED) was placed inside a supermarket bag, inside a bucket on a tube train. Eyewitnesses spoke of a "ball of flame" shooting through the carriage. Mercifully, there were no deaths on this occasion but several passengers were hospitalised and treated for burns to their hands and face.
Reactions to the attack
The emergency services reacted swiftly to the attack and were on the scene within minutes. The public in Parsons Green showed great courage and compassion and opened their doors to victims to make tea and allow people to charge phones and use their toilets.
Community opens up near Parsons Green following today's attack, as residents offer their homes as spots to charge phones and use the toilet pic.twitter.com/y7OzsEaxUA
— Jack Hardy (@JackHardy9) September 15, 2017
Reporter Jack Hardy was on the scene with this tweet that shows how residents rallied round after the events.
London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, was quick to let his feelings known in a news interview stating that " London will not be defeated."
Theresa May's response
Immediately after the attack the Prime Minister convened an emergency meeting of the COBRA crisis committee at 10 Downing Street and addressed media shortly afterwards saying that the attack was "cowardly" and "clearly intended to cause significant harm." Police have said that they are treating the bombing as a terrorist attack.
The US President was quick to wade in and give his opinion on the attack, stating in a tweet that it was the actions of another "loser terrorist". The Prime Minister quickly responded, firmly putting Trump in his place by saying that such speculation was unhelpful.
Trump was not to be put off though and added his own views on how the issue should be dealt with.
Loser terrorists must be dealt with in a much tougher manner.The internet is their main recruitment tool which we must cut off & use better!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 15, 2017
Trump, rather startlingly, claims that the internet is the main recruitment tool for terrorists and the obvious way to solve this problem would be to cut it off and use it better.
Trump's claims
The POTUS is, as we know, not renowned for his diplomacy or tactful approach to solving problems, preferring instead the sledgehammer approach. After all, this is the man who believes that building an enormous wall will stop illegal Mexican immigration to the US, banning some travel from predominantly Muslim countries to the US will prevent terrorist attacks and dropping the MOAB ( Mother of All Bombs) on Afghanistan will end the conflict there. It is no surprise perhaps that he believes "cutting off" the internet will put an end to terror attacks. In true vague style, he makes no mention of how this will take place, only that it will and that it will solve the problem. Therefore, presumably, if the internet is not "cut off" to terrorists we will only have ourselves to blame when another attack takes place.
The events of Friday were awful for everyone concerned, but thankfully this time there were no fatalities and all relevant services are working hard to resolve the problems. What is not needed now, or at any other time, is president Trump making claims that are frankly bizarre.
