Shortly after the latest terror attack near London’s Houses of Parliament, which saw a car drive into a group of cyclists, tourists rushed to pose for selfies in front of a police cordon.
Their action provoked an angry social media backlash.
“What is wrong with people?” observers fumed.
News outlets such as Metro UK and the Daily Mail showed numerous examples of tourists cheerfully posing for happy snaps. There’s a selection on the Daily Mail online site here. Some tourists seem to treat emergency scenes like film sets – the perfect backdrop for a quick selfie.
Londoners and UK authorities have condemned their attitude.
“Absolute morons” was one description of the selfie takers.
A journalist questioned the “bizarre” sight of a tourist proudly photographing her daughter at the scene.
The terror incident involved a 29-year-old immigrant from Sudan, Salih Khater, said to be a student who had acquired British nationality. He is accused of deliberately crashing a car outside the Houses of Parliament and was yesterday reported to be refusing to cooperate with police.
Social media pic shows tourists taking selfies
https://twitter.com/esaagar/status/1029498257901322241
Fortunately in this case, the only injuries were minor. A new security barrier, designed to stop truck attacks like those in Nice and Berlin, halted the car in its tracks.
Salih Khater. Facebook
Speculation is rife that the road outside Britain’s Parliament could be closed permanently to prevent further such incidents. In which case people might have to find other vantage point for their selfies.
Written by Peter Needham
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