Suspected suicide bomber shot at Stockwell station.

[cori]

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

I have to admit, if I was on a bus and a young Asian guy got on with a rucksack, I would get off.
I wouldn't stay in a tube carriage with a single male of any colour either, for slightly different reasons.
It's not at all nice to think and feel like this.
As it is, I am in the fortunate position of not needing to get on any kinds of public transport atm.

ooops Springchicken - living in the wrong town there I think - large asian community!

Binkie, that is exactly what I thought.

The bombs 2 weeks ago didn't have the desired effect (affect?, sorry I never know which is the right one) so they have done this again to try a gain "control" of us.

It's not racist IMO. Just as I don't hate all men because I wouldn't stay in a tube carriage with any lone male.

OMG our journalists need to be trained better .. watching BBC news 24 they have an interview with a witness at the moment

Witness: "They shot him 5 times"

Journo: "Do you think they killed him?" (asked, despite already knowing that the police have announced that he was shot dead

Witness: "Yeah he's dead man, of course he's dead"

why would a journo ask such a ridiculous question

Get the feeling honesty wasn't the best policy now

Can onyl stress again that i am not and have never been racist, the colour of peoples skin does not bother me or make me think anything more of less of them but this situation would make me think twice.
Didn't want to offend anyone.

Asian woman, no problem, but young, asian, AND carrying a rucksack, sorry, but I wouldn't stay. I certainly would never stay just to make a point.
Hate rucksacks anyway - PIA on the tube!

It makes me want to cry that people feel like this, my ex husband is Indian and my son is half Indian and some of you would view ex dh (and possibly ds if he looked Asian enough for you? and was older, obviously!) with suspicion for getting on a bus? It's awful.

i am just avoiding tubes/trains/buses atm.

well you've offended me - my DH is black, and left the house this morning with a black bag over his shoulder - not a rucksack - but as easily accessed as a rucksack.

I was on the Tube in Glasgow on Monday and I couldn't BELIEVE how jumpy everyone was! At one station we were all told to get off..... I had this sick feeling of panic in my stomach. A few other people got nervous and asked the SMT guy on the platform. He said "Oh the drivers just finished his shift, another train will be here in 5 mins"!!

A few weeks ago that would never have phased me at all. I was scanning the passengers for anyone Asian and acting suspicious.

there are always young asian men with rucksacks on the bus though wherever you go

QoQ, as i am well aware, I have lived here all of my life. There is a very large Asian community here which has been featured on the news alot over recent weeks.

As i said it is not about being racist, although you appear to have taken it that way!

I have avoided the underground for about 10 years tbh. But then, I am a paranoid loon. [twitch] And I just hate it anyway. Dirty, scarey, overcrowded, expensive, underground place. Yuk.

Yes, it is awful and of course I would think the likelihood is very tiny, but the combination would be too much for me atm.
If the bombers were young white men with rucksacks then I would be avoiding them. In fact, atm, I would be extremely nervous around ANY young men with rucksacks.

Everyone needs to be more alert with all large bags on public transport (regardless of owner). Sad to say but this is a sign of our times.

its the mosque in whitechapel incase you haven't heard

I heard an Asian man being interviewed on the radio this morning and he said he had had the entire tube carriage to himself as when people saw him (and his large bag) they made their way to other carriages. He said it made him feel absolutely terrible. It's fear, pure and simple - and it is understandable, but it's really sad because it is adding more fuel to the fire.

I'm listening to one of the eye witnesses on TV right now. He watched as the plain clothes cops unloaded five bullets into the guy's head. Interviewer: "Do you think he's dead?" Man: "Oh yes, he's dead". Five bullets in the head, you would think so.

Sounded horrendous. Please god the police didn't get it wrong. You have to feel sorry for them in this position: a split-second decision with the stakes sky-high.

Also feeling very, very sorry for the Muslim community right now. One of my Muslim colleagues sent round an email the day after the bombings, explaining how un-Islamic terorrism is etc. He was carpeted for it and made to apologise to everyone. I understand why management wanted to nip this in the bud - the last thing you need in a big multicultural organisation right now is to provoke a debate that might invoke inflammatory responses - but I felt very sorry for him. He must have felt very humiliated and he did, after all, act from the best instincts

but there are women sucide bombers in other countries arent there?

Haven't read the whole thread but just wanted to comment that as an Asian Muslim dh decided not to take his bag to work to work in the City today. He travels on the tube daily, as does db and countless other Muslim friends and relatives.

I do understand and sympathise with peoples' fears but just want people to understand that I feel like we're being doubly victimised - living with the daily threat of family being blown up and having to face suspiscion from fellow passengers.

Having said that I do agree that it is a very difficult situation and security has to be paramount.

But Aloha, just because the bombers were black/asian doesn't mean if you're on a tube or bus with black/asian people you stand a higher risk of being blown up. Getting off a bus seems extreme. The majority of black/asian/muslims are law abiding and not bombers.

I think it is racist. I wouldn't stay away from muslims (and I can usually tell the difference) because it isn't fair to make those assumptions. Plus like others have pointed out, it would severely limit travel choices in London!

Also the perpetrators want to cause these reactions - to incite race hatred and a divisional society - thoughts like this are achieving their goals.

A single man is common sense, and that is refering to a very particular (and relatively common) situation, not the same as trying to avoid all Asians with bags.