As Londoners continue to show defiance in the wake of last week’s terror attack, a group of mostly Muslim women have stood hand-in-hand on Westminster Bridge in a show of solidarity.
Organised by the social justice group Women’s March On London, the nearly 100-strong group bowed their heads in respect to the three members of the public who lost their lives (the fourth death was the assailant, Khalid Masood) as Big Ben rang out at 4pm local time.
It’s alleged some of those who stood for five minutes on the iconic landmark – along which alleged lone wolf Masood sped before ramming the gates of Parliament House, stabbing a police officer to death – were victims of the devastating incident.
Everyone was asked to wear blue as a symbol of hope and, as you can see, the cumulative effect was extremely powerful.
The images have already been shared widely on social media, under the hashtag #WeStandTogether.
A spokesperson for The Women’s March – part of a movement that saw up to 2 million people march against Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 21 – said they organised the human chain as “a simple but powerful” symbol that the UK wouldn’t be divided by acts of terror.
“The image of women coming together from different communities and holding hands has significant symbolic power, particularly in the online world where so much xenophobic and racist language is shared,” said Emma McNally. “This is a simple statement of women coming together and standing together, reclaiming Westminster Bridge as an expression of solidarity in London and across the UK.”
Photo: Elainea Emmott.
