Suspected suicide bomber shot at Stockwell station.

[cori]

Have just heard an unconfirmed report on the radio. Anyone else?

yes true enid.

i do think that if we all jump off buses when asian men carrying bags get on we are letting extremists win hands down tho. we're also making life totally miserable for the thousands of asian and asian looking men that live in our capital.

Snafu, thats prety much the point I made earlier.

OK, so let me get this straight. Now supporting someone's viewpoint is wrong? Funny kind of debate this is. Perhaps we should just nominate two people to argue for and against and the rest of us can go and have a cup of tea.

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totally agree with sophable

the whole point of terrorism is to force us to change our way of living and make decisions that compromise our lives so, for me, the best thing is to carry on with life as best you can (and I work bang in London and do have to use public transport daily). Thats not to say you have to take stupid risks but worth remembering that terror groups only succeed by making the threat seem much larger than it really is. Its really easy to overstate the actual danger.

God forbid any one here is hurt or loses someone through these attacks, or even that there are more of them. BUT changing your behaviour means the terrorists win. I don't want them to win so even tho I'm scared witless I'm carrying on travelling as before.

Look, rapists love women to be frightened. They really, really get off on it. They fantasise about it. But I will still move from a carriage - particularly at night - where I am alone with a young man of any race just because of the very remote risk that they may be a rapist. I don't think that's letting the rapists win.
I would get off the bus in those very particular circumstances (rucksackist thought I may be) because I would be far too uncomfortable and nervous to stay on. Staying on would benefit nobody and would be unpleasant for me.

milk, no sugar for me snafu.....

cause what they are trying to achieve is:

a) fear leading to damage to our economy, i.e. people not using public transport/changing their journey times and therefore being late etc

b) more importantly dividing us, terrorising us into hating. as the only thing that will totally break down their support and their ability to carry out these things is calm, reason and dare i say it love in the face of hate.

am sort of stating the blindingly obvious here no?

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And as terrorists are being shot in the street and placing bombs within a couple of miles from my home in two directions atm, I do feel jumpy, yes.

very interesting and weird thread....
now listen to this: dh commutes into London every day, by train and tube. the other day, a whole bunch (about 15) of young asian men with rucksacks got on the same carriage as him. Apparently everyone looked at each other and..................................................................smiled?
Is dh mad or is it the sign that a lot of people are keeping their heads and behaving rather remarkably in the circumstances?
FWIW, I have been very impressed by the general reaction of Londoners and commuters.

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And I don't hate anyone. Not even the bombers.

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You wouldn't put a bomb in a Mulberry handbag, deffo. Gucci, maybe...

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We have no choice but to carry on and act as normally as possibly. What good does it do us suspecting every young asian man with a rucksack

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p of d - link doesnae work

Nobody would waste a Mulberry by putting explosives in it.

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ok, if a suicide bomb were to be carried onto a train or bus by an apparently heavily pregnant woman, would we all get off buses and trains if pregnant women got on with rucksacks???? no we wouldn't. which is what i mean about playing into our inherent prejudices....

ok, if a suicide bomb were to be carried onto a train or bus by an apparently heavily pregnant woman, would we all get off buses and trains if pregnant women got on with rucksacks???? no we wouldn't. which is what i mean about playing into our inherent prejudices....

But people on here aren't saying they are all going to stay in their homes and never get the tube or bus again. They are simply stating if they percieved a threat, rightly or wrongly they would want to take themselves out of the situation. Makes perfect sense to me. That IMO is not letting the terrorists win.

Also Sophable, I find your comment that we are upsetting the asian man with a rucksack hard to take. IMO it is the fault of the extemists who have brought this on their people. They are the people who have done all this damage. If it were me yes I would find it very sad that people were afraid of me but mostly upset and angry that they had percievable cause to be.