Would you go to London

[limey234]

We have a tourist trip booked in half term. Lots of museums, the tube, shops, tourist destinations with our two kids (under 7).

Would you go? Given the situation in the world right now.

My husband barely watches or reads any news. He doesn't understand why I'm nervous.

I think we should postpone it. I'm a bit nervous of being caught up in a protest, or other activity.

The Pittsburgh synagogue shooter was just a standard neo-Nazi, nothing to do with Palestine at all, and no risk whatsoever to tourists in a different country. You might as well ban your kids from going on residentials because of Anders Brevik.

I lived in London for 30 years, through 7/7 attacks (I was travelling on the tube that time) and the riots.

It would not even cross my mind to be worried about this.

As other have mentioned, maybe check if there any protests on the days you are visiting and avoid the routes. Although usually the big ones go through Oxford St and Regent St so you might see people passing as you shop.

Maybe walk if you can as much as possible or take cabs rather than use the tube if that makes you feel less anxious.

You can't let it affect your life or you would never go out again...

@glassyglass

This is true but it’s human nature, most people are just concerned about how things will impact them personally.

Of course. But most have the grace and tact not to post completely histrionic stuff about the threat to their family of going to London (a town which is home to some 8 million people and also link it to a situation in a part of the world where people are actually dying.

It's in poor taste. If the OP is this anxious she shouldn't go to London but a bit of self-awareness would be nice.

Of course I'd go, what an OTT reaction.

He doesn't read the news too much and lives in a little bubble. There seem to be quite a few like that here.

People who take a rational look at ‘risk’ in being a visitor to London probably live more in the real world and less of a bubble than either you or your DH.

You are reactive to your anxiety, imprisoned by fear, that’s a bubble of it’s own.

Exactly. Reading the news is no better than not reading the news if you're not able to form a rational perspective on it and understand risk accordingly.

I mean this with genuine kindness, but please consider CBT.

I used to think that my level of anxiety was normal/ useful and that other people were naive. A very good therapist helped me to understand that it really wasn’t normal to be planning my escape routes from terrorists in soft plays, rural cinemas, etc and that avoiding things I’d otherwise be looking forward to was actually what terrorists want.

I’m going to London over half term, with two children and elderly relatives. I’m going to be doing vigorous checks for bedbugs at regular intervals, and won’t tag on the end of any protests, but I won’t be worrying about terrorism.

Go to London. Have fun.

@Thepeopleversuswork it must be so fabulous to not worry "because other people are worse off" I'm afraid that's not human nature for most.

Of course protests and terrorist attacks are linked to recent world events. It is not bad of me to say they are... it's fact.

I think there is legs for there to be some disruption in London today. I'd go but just keep your wits about you and walk away if there is.

I live in the Square Mile, OP. Should I move, or will spending the weekend barricaded in my flat be sufficient?

Like a PP I was working a few hundred yards away from the London Bridge incident. We had a heavy schedule that day, and the first I knew about it was when my mother texted from 300 miles away to ask about the narwhal tusk.

You said you are worried about being caught up in a protest don’t be. The Israeli embassy off Kensington High St and the Iranian embassy down the road have regular protests. They are heavily policed and they put barriers up etc. It’s a pain for us that live nearby because buses are diverted and roads are gridlocked. The tube is largely unaffected.

Marches are also heavy policed and stewarded.Even if you see a protest nobody is going to go up to you and randomly stab you. There are stabbings in London but mostly gang related.

You need to balance risk but actual risk like crossing a busy road, interacting with dodgy people, leaving valuables in the car. The possibility of dying because of a half term trip is very remote.

It’s natural to worry about your kids. My kids are in their 20s, I worry about road accidents or incurable diseases. Statistically those are more likely than a random event in London.

I’m 60 lived in central London all my life and it’s safer than many places.

i would go
i went this week and have since been a tiny bit concerned about bed bugs

@Thepeopleversuswork

You’ve been pretty nasty and snipey on the threads related to this issue.

None of these threads are to do with the situation in Gaza/Israel.

They are to do with an increased security risk here in the U.K. with a particular focus on London as a result of things going on in Gaza/Israel.

Two separate issues.

Discussing personal safety issues and management of disruption when you are a tourist in a location you do not know well should not be a topic off the table.

I realise you are a Londoner and are defensive of your city, that is fine.

But you cannot disregard that some people will feel anxious coming to a major city such as this whenever they have no help/support/knowledge of the area and there is an increased threat level/major protest.

@limey234 I completely understand your concerns and do not believe them to be histrionic. I grew up in NI and it is inbuilt in me to avoid attacks/protests and so forth, this instinct has helped me to navigate when in London/Paris during attacks before. It seems silly to ignore on that basis now.

We have decided to wait and see how the next few days go, I do feel uneasy at present.

Of course this has increased the risk of terror attacks but that does not mean one is going to happen in London right now. It's not some sort of secret, Whitehall buildings often display the current threat level in reception.

To be fair to you, London is a big place and stuff is always going on so we Londoners can become a bit oblivious to this stuff - I have been blithly carrying on my life in London whilst terror attacks have been in progress in other parts of the city, I have sat in a side street pub having a pint whilst protestors battle with police two streets away, I have been trapped in my office by kettled crowds of protestors.

But seriously there is not a lot to worry about here day to day. We were out drinking in central London last night and the city was as vibrant and full as always.

With kindness I would advise you to stop watching so much news, it distorts things. I remember in the Summer all the panicky threads on here about the French riots. We were travelling to the South of France by train via Paris. If I had believed the news and threads on here I would have thought France was a battle ground.

In reality it was fine and the only impact was our first night in a southern French city was rather quiet as the authorities had stopped suburban public transport early as a precaution.

OP doesn’t seem able to differentiate between protests and acts of terrorism.

Maybe she doesn’t get out much and has formed her world view from CNN.

My friend was asked by his US uncle about the Muslim controlled no whites areas in London. That’s what people really think.

I have been on many protests, the media does sometimes try and present them as threatening in some way, but generally they are peaceful and boring if anything.

The threat level for the UK is "substantial", but pretty sure that throughout the 00s and most of the 2010s it was "severe" or "critical".

https://www.gov.uk/terrorism-national-emergency

Of course I worry. It is indeed human nature to worry and of course people are worse off.

But most people can process these very very negligible risks and not have them disrupt their lives as opposed to posting about how "dangerous" London is. It really really isn't. When people are at huge risk of death in the Gaza strip it does seem in pretty poor taste to talk about a tiny and entirely manageable risk affecting an affluent and safe part of the world.

Your anxiety is your anxiety and you need to deal with that as best you can (and if that means avoiding London then avoid London) but this rhetoric about how dangerous London is is incredibly tone deaf.

I'm sick of the histrionics about London and its horrors from people who have mostly hardly ever been here.

I think you should go. The greater risk to your children are probably those driving their children to their school who cannot properly drive their car, or are above at least the european drink drive limit from glasses of wine the night before.

Protests won't be outside museums in any case.

@limey234 I get how you feel. I think when you don't live somewhere like London the worry is bigger in your head. I live in a suburb outside of Mcr. It's a very quiet place & we are due to go to London at half term. I'm just going to see what happens over the next week and then we will decide. I am prone to being anxious however, I think London will be fine & if you decide to go, when you are there you will relax as you realise everyone is going around their business as usual. Don't take on board the aggressive comments on this post. Anxiety is a very real thing however mild.

I think recent events have demonstrated that terror attacks are unpredictable and can happen, out of the blue, at any time, anywhere. Ergo, live your life.

@Graciebobcat

My concern is that it may increase from substantial over the coming days and weeks.

Dependent upon how bad the attacks are in Gaza on the coming days, whether other Arab nations such as Iran get involved in this war, and what impact that has on both a) levels of protest/stability of protests
b) levels of anger/likelihood of organised attack on nations supporting Israel.

So in short, I’m not worried about today, save that the march may be chaotic, I’m worried about the impact a few wks from now.

If protests are civil, humanitarian corridors are opened and things calm down then I would go. If not then probably avoid until a later date.

Honestly don't overthink it OP your winding yourself up in knots over a low risk. Just use abit of common sense and you'll be fine. See a protest scheduled, just walk around it- they are usually heavily policed.

@B12B12 I don't really love chaos whether it be a big protest or people running away from danger.

I lived in London myself in my 20s and only lasted two years. I hated it as a place to live. Usually love it to visit. I felt fear in a tube station tunnel once when someone had a knife and people were running away. And I felt fear when I was shopping in Covent Garden and accidentally walked into the celebration bus tour for England winning the rugby. Hated the crowds! Thats not even a bad thing! That's just me and I will not apologise for it.

Those that suggest I'm racist, get a life. You know nothing about me other than I'm a bit nervous taking my kids to the city when there is a heightened risk of issues due to terrorist attacks and potentially violent protests.

London is a big place, unless you are directly close to the protest area you are unlikely to see it.

I have not seen anything unusual in London this week, either during the day or last night. However, if you are nervous @limey234 I would in your shoes cancel your trip. London is such a beautiful and vibrant city (and also can be expensive!) why spend the money if you will be too anxious to enjoy it.

Rebook for a time you feel more comfortable and can enjoy the experience with your family.