British show stoic side after terror attack
Former Amherst woman was a little more than a mile from Westminster attack
Londoners are renowned for their stoicism in times of crisis. Beth Follini got to see that up close on Wednesday.
The 47-year-old Amherst woman was just over a kilometre from Westminster Bridge when a knife-wielding man plowed his vehicle into pedestrians before fatally stabbing a police officer inside the gates of Parliament. Five people were killed, including the assailant, while 50 others were injured.
Follini has been in London for 27 years after graduating from Amherst Regional High School in 1987 and attending school in the United States. She runs a life-coaching businesses and was working with clients when the attack took place.
“We heard a lot of sirens and saw a big police presence,” Follini said. “I wasn’t really sure what was going on; there was nothing like people running by screaming or anything. I got an alert on my phone and saw it on the news. It was also on Facebook and Twitter.”
She was concerned about whether she’d be able to get back to her home southeast of the city following the attack since the area around the incident was locked down. Once there were assurances of no further attacks she made her way across London Bridge and out of Central London.
Despite the attack, Follini said London for the most part has returned to normal.
“People are pretty stoic. People are sad, but most of the people I’ve spoken to and most of the people on the news are
saying the same thing – we can’t let fear beat us,” Follini said. “Everyone is busy and pretty much getting on with their lives. There’s more police at the stations, but everyone is just moving on as they were before.”
She also volunteers at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and the plays went on as usual that night with all the volunteer stewards coming in for their shifts as they would any night.
Follini said the attack won’t change how she views London. She remembers being more rattled following the 2005 London bombings when Islamic terrorists detonated three bombs on London Underground trains and a fourth on a double-decker bus.
She said the amazing thing about Londoners is how they continue to stand together in crisis and she’s pleased that no one has attempted to take revenge against the city’s Muslim community.
There have been several multi-faith events in London since Wednesday, showing how united the people are.
“The good thing about London is we are a multicultural city, we are a city with a lot of diversity and we will remain that way,” she said. “This was just the action of a crazy person who has taken on extreme views. It doesn’t represent the attitudes of most Muslims. Hopefully there won’t be anything done to the Muslim community.”