FIVE DEAD IN LONDON ATTACK; MP TRIED TO SAVE OFFICER

Claremont grad in London shaken by terror strike

U.K. Conservative lawmaker Tobias Ellwood, centre, helps emergency services in an attempt to save the life of a police officer who was stabbed outside the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday. About 10 metres away, lay the assailant. “I tried to stem the flow of blood and give mouth to mouth while waiting for the medics to arrive, but I think he had lost too much blood,” Ellwood said. “He had multiple wounds, under the arm and in the back.” The officer, his attacker and three others died after a knife-wielding man plowed a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before stabbing the policeman.

A terrorist attack in London that left at least five people dead and 40 injured has re-routed a Reynolds Secondary School senior band trip.

The group of 44 students had arranged to spend two nights in London before flying home this weekend, but alternate arrangements are being made, said Piet Langstraat, superintendent of the Greater Victoria School District.

The band trip is one of four school trips to Europe from School District 61.

“Everybody is absolutely fine and safe. No one was in the area where the attacks occurred. That’s great news for us,” Langstraat said.

But after talking with the school principal, trip organizers and Kevin Cameron, a leading Canadian expert in threat assessment and trauma response, Langstraat cancelled the two-day stay in London.

“If you look at similar incidents that occur around the world, there are often other copycat type incidents in the days that follow,” he said. “In addition to that, it can be traumatizing for the students themselves when they are in and around that type of event.

“Hopefully, nothing else will occur in London. But with the heightened security forces and the anxiety in the city around an event like this, the advice is that it’s not wise to go to London at this point.”

The district will keep the students informed about changes to the trip as they occur, the superintendent said.

“I understand it will be a disappointment to the students not to be able to go to London, but we’ll be working very hard to find attractive alternatives that they can take part in while they are still there,” Langstraat said. “One other wrinkle for us: The students are scheduled to fly out of London and, at this point, we’re still discussing this as well.”

The superintendent said it was a difficult decision, but the safety of students is of the utmost concern. “We don’t want to overreact, of course, but we want to make sure that we are doing the prudent thing.”

A group of 25 Spectrum Community School students visited London on Monday and Tuesday and arrived safely in Normandy, France, on Wednesday. A group of 12 students from Victoria High School are in Lucerne, Switzerland, and 15 Reynolds students are travelling in Spain. None of the groups will visit London, Langstraat said.

The Canadian government has not upgraded its risk assessment for the United Kingdom in the wake of the latest attack. The Global Affairs Canada website encourages travellers to take normal security precautions.

Emily Miller, a 23-year-old former Claremont Secondary student who is interning at a London luxury lifestyle magazine, was shocked when she heard about the attack. “Coming from a place like Canada, where nothing in that sense happens. Then coming to England where it’s pretty safe, too. And then something happens so close to you, like five minutes. It’s just crazy,” Miller said. “I was actually there, in that exact place where the policeman was stabbed, one week ago. I was taking a photo in a photo booth near Big Ben.”

One of the five dead was a police officer stabbed inside the gates of Parliament.

Miller said she heard sirens about 2 p.m. London time but wasn’t alarmed

“London is a big city and you hear sirens all the time. Then the guy sitting across from me says: ‘There’s been a terrorist attack.’ I look up BBC online and they have live footage of everything’s that’s going on. I thought: ‘Oh my God. This is a crisis.’ Usually, you go about your day-to-day life and think you’re safe. But when something this big happens, it’s a little overwhelming.”

After the attack, the two subway lines Miller uses to commute to work were shut down. Fortunately, her mother, Christine, is visiting London this week, staying at a hotel in Kensington.

But even as Miller made her way to her mother’s hotel, she had a heightened awareness of her surroundings and was worried that something would happen on the London Underground. She will stay with her mother for the rest of the week. “I don’t want to take unnecessary risks. I would just rather stay safe where I know I am safe,” Miller said. “It just makes me more aware that anything can happen at any time and you’re not always safe.”

Christine Miller was just coming back to the hotel when she got a text from her daughter, telling her to turn on the TV.

“I was worried about her because I knew she had to take the Tube. Even though her office is close, she still has to travel underground.”

The Millers have decided to cancel their plans to attend a show on Saturday. Christine hopes she won’t be delayed too long when she flies home on Sunday.

“It’s always a good reality check. No matter where you are in the world, you have to look after yourself, staying in places where it’s safe and paying attention. Be aware no matter where we are. Anything could happen.”