So, mathanxiety, what part do the parents play in all this? Are they absolved from all blame, or should they be ensuring their kid behaves themselves?
Of course!
But, you know, some kids have SN, some don't speak English, and some are tourists who have no idea that they or their children are in harm's way in an area open to the public with no marching routes marked, and the possibility that an order will be barked only at the last second (in a language they may not speak).
If you look closely at the footage, you will see other children, not all of whom were firmly under parental control. It's a miracle that more children are not trampled. Or old people who can't get out of the way in time.
The Tower of London is famous worldwide. It attracts 3 million visitors annually. Not all of those tourists are going to do all the homework many here seem to believe they should do before setting foot in the grounds. Not all of those visitors speak English. Some are deaf. Some are not NT.
As I remarked before, some undoubtedly come from places where it is unthinkable that soldiers would simply physically mow down a child and keep on marching and it might not occur to them that gathering their children to them and gripping them tightly would be necessary.
Some probably can't believe that if security is such an important preoccupation, the public is allowed to wander freely along marching routes which must not be deviated from under any circumstances.
It seems to me that the question of physical barriers is the most logical solution to all the competing interests here - keep terrorists at a distance, free the Guards to do their very important marching about in costume, keep bolting toddlers, bewildered children, older people, and people who don't understand English safe.