To think we should avoid London right now?

Eh? its totally fine. I mean, I probably wouldn’t plan to take your kids to the Israeli embassy but apart from that London is just carrying on as normal. would be a huge overreaction and send a really odd message to your kids to rearrange a holiday

OP isn't even coming to London today, she is coming in the next few weeks!

These threads are so tedious.

Every single time something happens in the world the panic mongers come out in force to suggest that maybe they shouldn’t travel to London because…. What if….

Remind me again how many people have been killed in London so far since the attack in Israel last weekend?

And how many have been killed in car accidents in the same time?

And in case you’ve forgotten, the last terrorist attack in the UK happened in Manchester.

I’m so sorry. It must be absolutely horrific, and devastating for your community.

@MasterBeth civilians?

What about those of us who live and work here? Do you think we should evacuate?

I honestly don't know OP. Israel have given Gaza residents 24 hours to leave, which is an impossible task, IDF have their army poised to enter Gaza. Who knows how this well end, so tensions could be high.

Also not meaning to diminish the fears of Jewish Londoners or indeed Londoners from the Middle East, who all must be warey of reprisals. The sad fact is that Jewish schools in this country have high security at all times, which tells you something (something very sad).

As someone whose eldest brother was caught up in the July 7 bombings many years ago,I fully understand your fear.
He survived by being in the 2nd carriage up from the blast , showered in debris but he and his wife were unhurt. I remember the awful gut churning wait of several hours to find out he was OK, we had known he was on one of the trains involved.
Since then I've been scared of flying ( funny as eldest brother retired fast jet pilot) never been keen to be honest but absolutely hate flying now ,to the extent I actually got of a flight to Sweden before take off.
We have these fears for a reason,it's called self preservation. In the past I would have told you the likelihood of anything happening to you is very small, and I do think that security around tourist areas and public transport will be high, however as so many armed police have handed in their guns ,security will not be full unless the army is drafted in. There is of cause the additional fact that the Met seem more concerned about social causes than upholding the law,all a terrorist would have to do is chuck on a Just Stop Oil t-shirt and Bobs your uncle,police escort anywhere you like.

I'm a Jew in London. Our community is devastated beyond words, but it does not feel any different on the ground today than it did a week ago. I'm still taking the tube, going to work, taking my daughter to school.

My goodness. London is hardly caught up in the horrific violence in the Middle East. London is no more in danger than any other UK cities.

What about people who live in London? Should we not be leaving our homes?

Unless by London you mean places like Oxford Street, Leicester Square or similar - that’s not London that’s just a tourist trap. Go to the South Bank (not the awful bit near the London eye) or Greenwich, or Richmond Park, Kew Gardens, or anywhere that isn’t those mad “West End” places and you’ll be fine. Not because I think there’s massively likely to be any violence in those places but they’re awful an, and that’s where the protests were.

I was very close to being involved in 7/7 myself so not saying it isn’t scary, but you’d be cutting out much of the UK if you avoided anywhere where anything bad had ever happened.

No, I try to avoid London like the plague. It's dirty, grimy and far too crowded. I've been once in the last decade and that was enough. Would die happy enough if I never went again.

I was there on the day of the bus bombings (how unlucky can you be, I only go there once a decade or so!) - luckily nowhere near the bombs, but there was chaos throughout the city. Huge numbers of scared people unable to get any transport out, unable to book hotel rooms for the night, literally having to walk miles, with no idea where to go, shops, cafes etc all closed, so not even anywhere to go for a sit down and drink. No information/guidance about what to do. No officials able to help. It was a nightmare.

Around 50 were killed in London.

@ShellySarah no explain to a Londoner who also “survived” 🙄

I am am Londoner who lived and worked in London through numerous terrorist attacks (my office at the time was oppostite Edgeware Road tube station), protests and riots.

London is a big place and I am in central London right now - it is calm and fine. I was at a meeting just off Whitechapel high st on Wednesday and things were fine.

That said I do not want to diminish the impact of all this right now on Jewish Londoners - it is horrific people should feel so unsafe in their own city.

Again my meaning has gone over your head.

I meant when we were children there was a far bigger threat. Proper organised, armed and funded terrorism. The majority of people survived living in London through the IRA.

Therefore the OP shouldn't concern herself with this.

I work in London. TBH these days terrorism can occur anywhere. London is quite well policed. It is highly likely that terrorists would look at targets in other urban centres. My attitude is always to be careful but not to change my plans or lifestyle radically. If we do this terrorism wins.

I’m a Londoner with Irish family who lived in Belfast during the Troubles so my risk level had a little more perspective….

@MasterBeth in London?

I was a very young child in London in the late 80s early 90s when the IRA were still around. I survived.

I was a young child at about the same time. Not in London, but in places where the risk of attack was actually higher. I survived, clearly, since I am typing this. My neighbour was blown to pieces in front of his family. So me not being harmed was in no way an indication of the general level of risk.

I won't bother to explain as my meaning has gone over your head.

@duchiebun because they were bombing London a fair bit? I know people who were killed and injured by the IRA in London.

OP, if it helps there is an increased police presence.