Terror false alarm

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Sat Nov 25, 2017 3:48 pm

I have been considering the terrorist 'threat' in the West End yesterday.

I haven't heard any updates, so forgive me if I am behind times. Yesterday I saw crowds of shoppers running in fear, with armed police corralling them to safety, without any reason other than shouted warnings.....many hundreds of people ran for their lives.

What a sorry state of affairs when such panic can be spread amongst so many people for relatively very little...............as it turned out ?

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Sat Nov 25, 2017 3:54 pm

There were gunshots supposedly reported, but no evidence of such. More likely a car or motorbike backfiring. However, it does demonstrate the power of terrorism.

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Sat Nov 25, 2017 6:01 pm

Given the present day climate, I don't think I would argue with a police officer if he told me to run ! Even though I may not be able to run very fast, I'd still bloody run !

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Sat Nov 25, 2017 6:25 pm

G#Gill;1515020 wrote: Given the present day climate, I don't think I would argue with a police officer if he told me to run ! Even though I may not be able to run very fast, I'd still bloody run !

Not much point running after the event.

G#Gill · Post by **G#Gill** » Sat Nov 25, 2017 6:30 pm

FourPart;1515024 wrote: Not much point running after the event.

Maybe not FourPart, but there would be the possibility of another explosion n'est ce pas ?

tude dog · Post by **tude dog** » Sun Nov 26, 2017 9:06 am

G#Gill;1515020 wrote: Given the present day climate, I don't think I would argue with a police officer if he told me to run ! Even though I may not be able to run very fast, I'd still bloody run !

Reminds me of one night at work smoke began to fill the factory. Somebody sounded the evacuation alarm and though I didn't run but on my way out passed those who were running.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Sun Nov 26, 2017 10:57 am

I was more interested in the state of mind that everybody must be on tenterhooks 24 hours a day to engender that much instant reaction.

FourPart · Post by **FourPart** » Sun Nov 26, 2017 2:07 pm

I'm more of the philosophy that if you hear the shot, it's missed.

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Sun Nov 26, 2017 2:17 pm

FourPart;1515070 wrote: I'm more of the philosophy that if you hear the shot, it's missed.

The nature of some of these attacks could mean you are running into danger.

But what level of hysteria is about right now that causes scenes like I saw on the news ? And all over a minor fracas on the tube, I believe.

Clodhopper · Post by **Clodhopper** » Tue Nov 28, 2017 6:18 am

There's an interesting bit of analysis just popped up on the BBC site:

Is it right to say people caught in a terror scare 'panic'? - BBC News

For those that can't link it:

In short, there was little real panic. People were scared, they were running, but there was very little uncontrolled fear and no mass panic. people were doing what they were supposed to which is get out of the area asap but there were no crushes at bottlenecks that led to mass injury. Studies of other disasters show that many die because they don't take initial warnings seriously or stop to retrieve belongings so leaving fast is the right thing to do. They looked at more footage of the crowd running out of the station and found that they were mainly moving in small groups and often helping the slower. The conclusion was that the vast majority of people in this case didn't panic but acted sensibly and quickly, forming a group identity that led to co-operation to get them all out asap, even though understandably scared.

Although I'm not really a Londoner out in Kingston I do go up into Town from time to time and know how we are supposed to react from back in the IRA days. In a way the current security concerns are no different. Regarded as a dress rehearsal for a real thing not bad would be my verdict. My concern is that after a false alarm people might be slower to react next time. And there will be a next time.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Wed Nov 29, 2017 2:19 pm

So all of this over a fight at a train station? And the daily mail tweeting about lorries and ploughing into people and police stations being surrounded?

WoW ....who's gettting the sack over that one?

Clodhopper · Post by **Clodhopper** » Sat Dec 02, 2017 3:21 am

If it's the Mail, they are pushing any story they can that reinforces the idea we need to cut all ties with the world and retreat to the 1950s. This is just one and a few creative flourishes are entirely acceptable if they help with that.

edit: chuckle. I AM interested to see how the Mail (honestly these days I call it Der Sturmer) deals with Meghan Markle's Afro-American heritage.

She's a big hit here, it seems from initial reactions and god knows we need something - anything - positive at present. I'm normally fairly immune to royal weddings etc but even I have had my aah moments on this one

Bruv · Post by **Bruv** » Sat Dec 02, 2017 6:02 am

Clodhopper;1515366 wrote: I

She's a big hit here, it seems from initial reactions and god knows we need something - anything - positive at present. I'm normally fairly immune to royal weddings etc but even I have had my aah moments on this one

You big softy

Clodhopper · Post by **Clodhopper** » Sat Dec 02, 2017 6:39 pm

Yup.

Don't tell anyone, though...