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7 Acts Of Kindness And Bravery Shining Through The London Bridge Attack

7 Acts Of Kindness And Bravery Shining Through The London Bridge Attack

Horrifying scenes unfolded in the capital on Saturday night when a van ploughed into pedestrians on London Bridge, followed by multiple stabbings in nearby Borough Market - but the kind actions of many showed that terror would not divide Londoners.

Seven people were killed and at least 48 injured, from what appeared to be a coordinated attack on London.

Three male attackers were shot and killed within eight minutes of the first call to emergency services. Police believe they have killed all the attackers involved with the incident.

But while the city is in mourning, we look to those who rushed towards such horrifying scenes to help in London’s time of need.

Medics leave the scene near the scene of last night's London Bridge terrorist attack
Dan Kitwood via Getty Images
Medics leave the scene near the scene of last night's London Bridge terrorist attack

Here are some of the heroes of the London Bridge attack.

1. The pub doormen and restaurant staff who rushed to defend others.

Sky News journalist Kay Burley tweeted that during the London attacks, pub doormen and restaurant staff rushed to lock doors in order to protect those inside, “undoubtedly saving lives”.

2. The Khan family who offered a free taxi service to those affected.

As soon as news broke, Twitter user @thekhans_ offered up his taxi service to those stranded in London Bridge.

He tweeted: “Anyone around London bridge who needs to get home let me or my cousin @TWEETMINICAB know. #free#nocharge#londonbridge#londonwillnotfall.”

He later added: “There are 15 drivers and cars on the road from @TWEETMINICAB already. Do bare with them as most roads are closed and traffic is horrendous.”

Hundreds responded to Khan’s tweet, thanking him and his cousin for their service.

“You and your cousin are the best, mate,” one person wrote.

“What a lovely gesture, I am sure it will be appreciated by many. Thank you,” another added.

3. The sikhs who offered refuge in Gurdwaras across the capital.

As chaos unfolded across the capital, Phaldip Singh stepped in to help those in need.

The entrepreneur and youth activist tweeted a map highlighting the location of Sikh temples which were open and providing food and shelter to those affected.

Hundreds of people rushed to thank the Sikh community for stepping in during such desperate times. One person tweeted: “The Sikh community amazing as always, need more of these kindhearted people in the world.”

4. The citizens who offered their homes for those stranded.

As news unfolded that people had been hit by a van on London Bridge, locals immediately jumped to action.

Many tweeted to offer their homes up to those caught up in the attacks.

Kieran Glennon tweeted: “Live around the corner, can offer shelter / cups of tea (these are the only good people in this whole scenario).”

Lydia Hamilton also jumped in to help: “I live about 15 mins from London Bridge if anyone needs somewhere to stay, charger, tea, a comfy sofa, somewhere safe DM me. #LondonBridge”

David Lawrence offered a sofa to crash on and cups of tea to those in need.

5. The police who responded within minutes.

When news broke of the attack on London Bridge, the Metropolitan Police were there within minutes. In fact, it was reveal that the attackers were shot dead within eight minutes of the attack starting. Throughout the night, they were on hand to offer the latest, up-to-date information to the public via Twitter.

They also offered advice to those still caught up in the middle of the scenes at London Bridge and Borough Market, sharing a ‘Run, Hide, Tell’ infographic, and issuing a phone number for the Casualty Bureau so those concerned about friends or relatives could seek advice.

6. The man who threw chairs and glasses at attackers.

A man, named as Gerard Vowls by the Guardian, said that he was in the Ship pub near Borough Market when the attack took place. He began throwing things at the terrorists in a desperate bid to fend them off.

He said he saw a woman being stabbed by three men at the south end of London Bridge towards the market, so he threw chairs, glasses and bottles at them in a bid to stop them.

“I know it’s a silly thing to do but I was just trying to save people’s lives,” he said.

7. The 80 brave medics who rushed to the scene to save lives.

While hundreds of people fled Borough Market and the surrounding area, over 80 medics from the London Ambulance service rushed to the scene to tend to those who had been injured.

These included ambulance crews, advanced paramedics, specialist response teams and an advanced trauma team from London’s Air Ambulance.

Meanwhile control room staff took over 100 calls for the incident.

A spokesperson for London Ambulance has since urged the public to only call today in a genuine emergency.

“As we are still very busy, we would urge the public to only call us in a genuine emergency and to call NHS 111 for urgent healthcare advice,” they said.

8. The hero cafe owner who helped bring 130 customers to safety.

A Borough Market restaurant owner revealed how his quick-thinking staff were able to bring 130 customers to safety as the London Bridge terror attackers came running towards his cafe.

Mark Stembridge told his staff at Cafe Brood, some of whom were ex-military, to pull customers from the open balcony as they saw three men brandishing weapons coming towards the building.

“I can’t tell you what they were screaming but they seemed to hesitate when they saw we were slightly organised,” Stembridge told HuffPost UK.

“They then veered off beneath the bridge towards another establishment called Borough Bistro.”

Stembridge is calling for more training to be given to restaurant owners in the capital and said police had passed on advice to him after the Westminster attack.

“After the recent bombings police told us what to do. They’ve used some sort of technique of moving and waving their arms, that’s what the [waiters] boys did. We’ve been told by the police what to do,” Stembridge said.

9. The man who cycled 34km so he could deliver water to police working at London Bridge.

A man living in Surrey cycled 34km so he could deliver water to police working in the aftermath of the terror attack.

Paul Ashworth, who lives in Esher, said he just “wanted to help”, so decided to buy water bottles from local stores and ferry them to working officers.

10. The man who returned to the restaurant he ran from during the attack to pay his bill and tip staff.

In an act of defiance, Richard Angell returned to the Arabica Bar and Kitchen, in Borough Market, to settle up.

“I’ll be going back to the same restaurant to finish my meal, pay my bill and give them a double tip. They cared about us and our safety,” he told the BBC.

The 33-year-old added he was “not going to let these people win”.

“If me having a gin and tonic with my friends, flirting with handsome men, hanging out with brilliant women is what offends these people so much, I’m going to do it more not less. That’s what makes London so great.”

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