Westminster Bridge stirs to life again, selfies make a comeback
Few have ever seen the picturesque Westminster Bridge deserted – it is always bustling with hundreds of excited tourists, joggers, suits walking briskly to and from offices or campaigners handing out leaflets. Many are seen hunting for the perfect angle for selfies against the Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, the London Eye or the Thames.
The throng vanished for some hours after Khalid Masood ploughed a car into pedestrians and stabbed a police officer on Wednesday – but not for too long.
The selfies returned soon after the bridge was opened on Thursday. People determined to make a statement against Masood’s act walked up and down, placing flowers and cards with moving messages at various points.
Most gathered at the point where he drove the car into the fence below the Big Ben, as the police kept a distant watch.
Journalists were everywhere, capturing the moment of life returning to normal. Vehicular traffic passed by at a slower pace than usual, stopping to allow pedestrians to cross mid-way, while some honked in solidarity with the police.
A woman wearing Chelsea football club’s scarf was telling journalists the bridge felt no different than any other day: “I am a Londoner born and bred. We carry on. I lived through the IRA troubles in the 70s. We just have to carry on.”
Elsewhere, a British Sikh, who would only name himself as Singh, said: “We cannot let them cow us, dictate to us how we should live our life.”