Victims of 7/7 attacks remembered

LONDON: London Mayor Sadiq Khan on Friday said the victims of the July 7 attacks will never be forgotten and recalled how the city's response "inspired the world" when four terrorists caused carnage by carrying out suicide bombings on London’s transport networks 12 years ago.

52 people died and nearly 700 were injured in attacks in the single worst terrorist atrocity on the British soil. Three suicide bombers – Mohammed Sidique Khan, 30, Shehzad Tanweer, 22, and Hasib Hussain, 18 – were of British Pakistani origin, while the fourth – 19-year-old Jermaine Lindsay – hailed from Jamaica.

The mayor commented that Londoners "always pull together", pointing out that this was evident once again this year following the attacks in London Bridge, Westminster, and Finsbury Park, as well as the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire.

"Twelve years ago, our city suffered a cowardly and barbaric terrorist attack. […] We will never forget those who lost their lives on 7/7 – and we honour them again today and they will always remain in our hearts," Khan mentioned.

The mayor also noted the "heroic efforts" of London's emergency response teams and transport colleagues on the "darkest of days".

Khan went on to say that the city's "firefighters, paramedics, police, and public transport staff fought to save lives in the most horrific and harrowing of circumstances", and exhibited "tremendous bravery, running towards danger whilst directing others to safety".

"We stand up for our values and our way of life. And we have shown this again during the difficult times our city has faced in recent months following the horrific terrorist attacks in Westminster, Finsbury Park and London Bridge, and the Grenfell Tower fire," the Mayor added.

Many Pakistanis living in the UK spoke to Geo.tv on the 12th anniversary of the attacks and explained how life for them has changed after the horrific London bombings.

Human rights lawyers said laws in Britain have been amended after the terror attacks and Britons' human rights have come under attack, curtailing civil liberties and giving authoritarian powers to the police. They elucidated that stop-and-search, surveillance, and harsher immigrations laws were introduced after the 7/7 bombings.

Hundreds of hate crimes have been registered by the police after the 7/7 attacks targeting Londoners. In total people of around 18 nationalities were killed, including Muslims.

In east London, some Pakistanis said they have faced problems after the 7/7 bombings but the police's behaviour has largely been fine towards them.

They didn’t face the kind of backlash that has been witnessed after the recent wave of terror attacks in Britain in the past few months, Pakistanis living in the UK explained. Moreover, those, who carried out bombings in Britain, were found to be involved in petty crimes and fraud and are not representatives of a largely peaceful British Muslim community.

Everyone, therefore, stood united in remembering the horrific 7/7 attacks.

"The best way we can honour all those who tragically lost their lives is to ensure that we always stand together as a city, uphold our values, and show the world that London will never be cowed by terrorism," Khan said.

—Edited by Haseem uz Zaman