REMEMBERING 7/7
Cameron and Johnson join families and survivors in remembering dead
Ten years after the London bombings that killed 52 people and injured hundreds more, survivor Gill Hicks lays flowers at Russell Square Tube station today. The capital fell silent to remember the victims of July 7, 2005. David Cameron and Boris Johnson laid wreaths at the memorial in Hyde Park
‘This is a day when we think of the grace and dignity of the victims’ families’
David Cameron
through and we honour the memory of those victims.” He also said that the Tunisian beach massacre showed the danger remains 10 years on but vowed the nation would not be cowed by violent extremists.
Mayor Mr Johnson wrote on hi s wreath at Hyde Park : “Ten years may have passed, but London’s memory is undimmed. We honour again today the victims of 7/7. You will live forever in the hearts of the people of this city.”
A bunch of flowers was left with a card signed by “a fellow Londoner” which said: “Thinking of each & every one of you. You are not forgotten.”
Mr Johnson said the four suicide bombers had “failed in their aim” because Londoners’ values and way of life had not changed. “Ten years on if you look at London you could not say they have chipped any paint on it at all.” He said the terrorists “didn’t in any way change the fundamentals of London and what makes this city great”, adding: “Indeed, it’s gone from strength to strength in the 10 years since.
“I think most people would say that London has become even more cosmopolitan, even more welcoming.”
But Mr Johnson warned the threat remained from a “tiny minorit y ”. “We’re as ready as we think we can be, and as you can imagine there are preparations going on all the time in the event of all kinds of attacks.”
Hundreds of Londoners took to Twitter to pay their own tributes and talk of their memories.
Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said the service was a time to remember “how strongly we came together to stand up to the threat 30, — known as Shyanu — was on her way to work in Paddington when she was killed. Today her mother collapsed as she arrived at scene and had to be supported by family.
A card left to “Our Precious Daughter” from “Mum & Dad” said her death had left “two broken hearts”.
At Edgware Road station, families of the six victims, TfL staff and police gathered in the ticket hall for a minute’s silence at 8.50. Commuters halted at the ticket barriers for a moment of reflection. One man stood, with his head in his hands, silently crying. A woman walked from the crowd wiping away tears.
Floral tr i b ut e s were al s o left at Aldgate station, where seven people died, and one man stopped to pray at the entrance.
Mr Cameron paid tribute to the “grace and the dignity” of families who lost loved ones.
The Prime Minister said: “Ten years on, this is one of those days where everyone remembers exactly where they were when they heard the news.
“It’s a day when we recall the incredible resolve and resolution of Londoners and the United Kingdom, a day when we remember the threat we still face but above all it’s a day when we think of the grace and the dignity of the victims’ families for all they have been lost both legs below the knee in the blast, returned to lay flowers.
There were also emotional scenes at Tavistock Square, the scene of the last attack when a bomb ripped through a No30 double-decker at 9.47am after it had been diverted because of the earlier bombings. The blast killed 13. Royal Mail worker Shyanuja Parathasangary, services joined together in a series of emotional tributes. At 8.50am — the exact time the first bombers struck — David Cameron led Boris Johnson, senior police officers and politicians to lay wreaths at the 7/7 memorial in Hyde Park.
At Russell Square Tube station — where 26 people died — Gill Hicks, who LONDON paused today to remember the July 7 attacks on the Tube and bus network as political leaders and police officers warned of an enduring threat from terrorism.
The capital — and country — fell silent to mark the 10th anniversary of the atrocity in which four suicide bombers murdered 52 people and injured hundreds more. Survivors, relatives of the dead and rescuers from the emergency
we faced, and to send a message to terrorists that London was, and continues to be, strong, united and vibrant.”
He added: “For so many of my officers and staff the 7th of July 2005 is a day that they too will never forget. A day that doing their duty meant running towards scenes of horror that were unimaginable, not knowing what would face them when they arrived and doing their absolute very best to help.”
There was also a memorial service at St Paul’s attended by the Duke of York, Mr Cameron, Mr Johnson, Tony Blair and Ken Livingstone, who was Mayor at the time of the attacks — and a national minute’s silence at 11.30am.
In an address at the St Paul’s service, the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, said: “Soon after 7/7 the families and friends of the victims compiled a Book of Tributes. It is a taste of the ocean of pain surrounding the loss of each one of them.”
A period of quiet was observed across the transport network. Met Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, the country’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, called on communities to “step forward” in the fight against radicalisation.
Andrew Parker, the head of MI5, said the “continuing fact” that some UK citizens were prepared to target their own country presented a “serious soc iet al and s ecurit y challenge”.
On the day of the bombings London was celebrating winning the 2012 Olympics. Bombers Mohammed Sidique Khan, 30, Shehzad Tanweer, 22, Hasib Hussain, 18, and Jermaine Lindsay, 19, met at Luton station. They took a train to King’s Cross and separated to carry out their atrocities.