Royal guard video kicking child in the way

[DickMabutt73962]

I wasn't born and raised in the UK and am not into the culture of 'tradition' but I don't understand the majority of reactions to this video blaming the parent and saying of the guards 'it's their job'.

Can anyone more enlightened explain to me why this was necessary? As far as I can see the guard is marching, not saving London from attack. I don't see why a side-step wouldn't work. And if this is a register thing then maybe future control of how close members of the public are able to get in their path

www.indy100.com/viral/queen-royal-guard-trampled-kid-tiktok-video-b1983965

He was doing his job, children should not be in the way, its not his fault, its the parents .

If you are walking along the pavement it’s good manners to move out of the way, especially for people that may not be as mobile as you. I’ve taught my kids this. I’m not saying they’ve ever blocked someone’s path by accident but on the whole I’d say they were vaguely considerate kids. Therefore is they had a soldier walking towards them with a ruddy great gun I’d expect them to move. So many people are inconsiderate of others, including this child and their parents.

Stormz.... so two year olds should be strapped in their prams should they. In case you haven’t noticed the royal family like the revenue generated by these tourist attractions. It isn’t kiddies soft play but it is a day out for many families with children. Do you think he could fight off a terrorist dressed like that? What will they do, run them through with a sword?

Yes they should be strapped in or at least the parents should make sure they don't run into a guard with a gun.......

Classic Mumsnet - a clickbaity, inaccurate title which OP could easily have got amended and the usual ignoring of a parent's responsibility from some

And just to add that the rifles aren't necessarily loaded with live ammunition; they only do that when there's a known, existing threat

@TimeFlysWhenYoureHavingRum I totally agree with you. I cannot believe the 'topsy turvy' thinking on this thread. You don't mess with soldiers with guns (just as you wouldn't with a load of advancing police in riot gear!), period. The marching is orchestrated, practised and practised. Had that one soldier deviated from his path, he'd have probably caused literal chaos in the ranks. They operate as a well-oiled (essentially killing machine) team and are not trained to decide to go off piste and decide to do things themselves!

@Malibuismysecrethome. What will they do, run them through with a sword?

Unlikely since they have a loaded gun … SA80s I believe.

@blueshoes

This is not Disney land.

The soldier did what he had to do. He was not brutal just did not have time to react.

Tbh if a child got in the way of a Disney parade I doubt they'd all stop and wait patiently either.

@AnotherMansCause

Compare and contrast with this recent case in the USA. In which the young victim was doing nothing more offensive than trying on a dress in a changing room.

My god - shooting guns in a department store??

Again, I'm having trouble understanding how holding your rigid safety critical security manoeuvres in public where they can be filled and studied at leisure for weaknesses is best practice.

Had that one soldier deviated from his path, he'd have probably caused literal chaos in the ranks. They operate as a well-oiled (essentially killing machine) team and are not trained to decide to go off piste and decide to do things themselves!

Exactly. It's not that marching in a straight line in silly hats is necessarily the best way to protect the TOL from a terrorist attack. It's a demonstration of how disciplined, focused and highly trained they are and how they work in unison.

Whether stopping to side step every wandering child or irritating eejit who thinks he's being funny is a thread to the thing they are guarding or not, is missing the point.

In case you haven’t noticed the royal family like the revenue generated by these tourist attractions.
It's a tourist attraction precisely because it isn't Disney, it goes both ways.

threat not thread

"If a child stepped in front of your car would you try to swerve?"
Not if it meant swerving into four people instead of one. That was the choice.

😂😂
Then you would swerve the other way or brake.

The guy was walking not going to speed of a car so he wouldn’t have caused any injuries by slightly stepping out of beat or to the side so he didn’t injure himself or a child.

He could also have turned his head slightly to check the child was ok without even needing to step out of beat.

No-one is saying they should go off piste. Some people are saying they could be trained to react appropriately to a range of likely scenarios. And if they have a proper security role to play maybe lose the hats that stop them from seeing properly.

Jesus that’s horrific. Just read the many posts defending this before watching and thought there’s so many defending it probably won’t actually be as bad as was being said but Jesus it really is!
And all this “oh but what if there was a terrorist attack” there wasn’t and it would’ve been so easy to divert their steps a tiny bit to avoid aggressively stamping on an 8 year old kid.
Kind of get the armed forces are trained to defend this kind of behaviour but so many people on here defending it - it’s shitty and wouldn’t it have been more lovely to have seen a soldier of HM service treating a child kindly than seeing this

Malibu...A two year old should be under control either in a pram or with reins or even on their parents shoulders where they can see what is going on. A military parade would be neither the time or place for a 'run around'

Of course it's tourist revenue (so are National Trust properties etc), but that doesn't mean it's ok to go around touching what you are told not to touch or going behind roped off areas. That's just entitled behaviour.

I have no idea what those particular soldiers are capable of but suspect I would come off worse in an altercation.

Not the worst thing the Royal family has done to a child.

I honestly don't understand how staring straight ahead & marching rigidly in a highly choreographed routine with zero room for any reaction is actually an effective way of thwarting terrorism?

This is a serious question. Can someone explain to me how it works? How this display is an effective security measure?

It's the dessage event of the military world & absolutely is there for pomp & ceremony.

He was doing his job, children should not be in the way, its not his fault, its the parents

I think it's more the soldier's employer's duty to ensure he actually can do his job without being impeded.

@JohnHuffam1812, do you want to discuss hypothetical tramplings at Arlington National Cemetery? Do you believe such a thing could happen there? Is it the grim, square-jawed look of the sentinels there that ha sparked your imagination? Or because some such incident has ever happened there, or maybe one has come close to happening?

There is a physical barrier keeping the public out of the mat area where the sentinels patrol at the Tomb. It is also a place with a palpable air of reverence and solemnity, along with signage requiring silence and respect at all times. Sentinels directly order visitors to remain behind the chains and rails, sometimes repeatedly, as they advance slowly toward the offending party.

There is no crowding around, no way you could ever find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time unless you made a conscious decision to trespass, unlike the chaotic scenes at the Tower and often at other palaces, and unlike the scene where a young child ended up being simply ploughed into by a roaring man who gave him no time at all to respond.

So I vote we talk about the Tooth Fairy instead.

Had that one soldier deviated from his path, he'd have probably caused literal chaos in the ranks. They operate as a well-oiled (essentially killing machine) team and are not trained to decide to go off piste and decide to do things themselves!

Some of these replies are ridiculous 😂😂 one man slowing down or side stepping causing chaos in the ranks 😂
RTFT where people with actual experience have said it would have been better for him to step out of beat and he wouldn’t have lost his job doing so.

@rockingelephant

I don't understand this really. If the guards are not to be distracted and disturbed then why are people allowed to get so close never mind a child especially as many of you have mentioned the rifles being loaded? And for parents with perfectly behaved children, have your children never tried to cross the road thinking it was ok where you luckily were able to pull them back or in a supermarket car park, have you never experienced any near misses with your child? The child to me looked very confused with the shouting "make way" which would have scared him hence why not knowing which direction he was supposed to go to losing balance from the shock. The mother was close by anyway, perhaps a metre away with her other two children.

To me it was totally unnecessary...

Yes but this wasn't a near miss. If this was one of the equivalents you've given then the child would have been hit by a car and be badly injured or dead.

I'm going to hasard a guess that the soldiers at Arlington are in proper uniforms too, not quasi-Disney outfits.