The reactions to the Manchester Arena bombing, which occurred on 22 May 2017, include the responses by political and religious leaders, media and the general public, both within the United Kingdom, where the Manchester Arena bombing took place, and from other nations and international organisations. Numerous notable establishments around the world also held memorials.
Ariana Grande, who had been giving a concert at the Manchester Arena shortly before the attack, issued a statement thereafter via Twitter that she was "broken," and offered to help those affected by the bombing. The general public sympathised with Grande's words and showed their overwhelming support, briefly making the tweet the most-liked tweet of all time. In addition to returning to the city to visit and FaceTime hospitalised victims, Grande subsequently organised a benefit concert, One Love Manchester, headlined by herself and a number of other artists and groups. The concert on 4 June was watched by more than 100 million people worldwide and raised proceeds exceeding £10 million in the twelve hours following its conclusion.
In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Theresa May chaired an emergency meeting of the COBRA committee in the hours following the 22 May 2017 bombing, and the UK's threat level was raised from "severe" to "critical" for a number of days, the first time it had stood at "critical" since 2007. May also condemned the attack, along with Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and other leading politicians and public figures. Religious groups, including the Muslim Council of Britain, also voiced their condemnation. Internationally the attack was universally condemned by world leaders. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria issued a statement in support of the act.
Monuments in locations around the world were lit up in the colours of the Union Jack in solidarity with the UK, and silences were held to remember the victims of the bombing. A number of organisations and individuals offered tributes to the victims, including the broadcaster ITV, whose soap Coronation Street is filmed in Manchester; numerous figures from the music and entertainment industries also expressed their sympathy.
The attack occurred on 22 May 2017, at around 22:30 BST (UTC+01:00), [1] when a suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device in the foyer area of the Manchester Arena. The attack took place after a concert given by the US singer Ariana Grande that was part of her 2017 Dangerous Woman Tour. [2] [3] The concert was sold out, and up to 21,000 people were in attendance. [4]
Many of the concertgoers were children and young people, who make up much of Grande's fanbase. [5] Greater Manchester Police subsequently confirmed that 23 people had been killed and 800 injured, 59 of whom received hospital treatment; a number of children were confirmed to be among the fatalities. [6] [7] The attacker was also identified as Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old male, and British citizen of Libyan descent. [8]
Campaigning for the general election was suspended by all political parties, [9] [10] and largely remained on hold until 26 May. [11] [a] The day after the bombing, Prime Minister Theresa May announced that the UK's threat level had been raised to 'critical' for the first time in 10 years. [12] As a result, the British Armed Forces would be deployed to support police forces at key locations in the UK. [13] The threat level remained at critical for four days before being reduced back to severe on 27 May. [14]
Police reported a 505% increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in the Greater Manchester area in the month following the bombing. [15]
Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the English Defence League organised a rally at Manchester's Piccadilly Gardens on 11 June, which was attended by several hundred people. The demonstration was held under the banner of UK Against Hate and prompted a counter demonstration by anti-fascist protesters, at which attendance was also in the hundreds. Demonstrators clashed with police, while media reported that one man had carried a pig's head. The rally drew criticism from Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, who tweeted "These EDL-types who came today need to have a look at themselves [...] @gmpolice deserve better." [16] [17]
Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said "In a fast moving investigation such as this, the clear flow of information is vital, both for police focusing on their inquiries and for the families and friends trying to establish if their loved ones have been involved, Interpol will provide whatever support is required by the UK both now and as their inquiries progress." [18]
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant made an unconfirmed claim of responsibility for the attack, [19] [20] describing the attacker as "a soldier of the Caliphate". [21]
Manchester Arena, where the incident took place, issued a statement offering condolences to the people that were affected, calling the attack a "senseless tragedy". [22] As a result, scheduled concerts in the venue later in the same week for band Take That were postponed. [23] On 14 June, the arena confirmed that it would remain closed until September, with scheduled concerts either being cancelled, postponed or moved to other venues. [24]
Facebook activated its "Safety Check" feature for the affected area following the incident, allowing users to mark themselves as "safe", to notify family and friends. [25]
Monuments around the world were lit up in the colours of the Union Jack in solidarity with the UK. They included the Burj Khalifa, Tel Aviv City Hall, Jet d'Eau, Library of Birmingham, Amsterdam Central Station, The Orlando Eye, Toronto sign, Brandenburg Gate, the Adelaide Oval, the Story Bridge in Brisbane, the Petrin Tower in Prague, and the HSBC building in Hong Kong. [26] The lights of the Eiffel Tower, The Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and Empire State Building were turned off as a sign of respect. [27] The New York Yankees baseball club played "God Save the Queen" before their match against the Kansas City Royals as a tribute to the victims. [28]
On 23 May, there was a vigil in Albert Square, Manchester, at which a minute of silence was observed followed by speeches from members of the community and from Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, and poet Tony Walsh, who performed a poem called This Is the Place. Also on stage was the Home Secretary Amber Rudd, Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn, Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow, and Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron. Various vigils were held in other places in the UK too, including London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Belfast, Coventry, Liverpool, Sheffield, Derby, Newcastle upon Tyne, Bolton, Swindon, Leeds, and Tarleton. [29]
For their parts in responding to the attacks, Detective Chief Inspector Teresa Lam and Special Sergeant Jared Simpson were awarded the British Empire Medal, and Chief Inspector Dale Sexton received the Queen's Police Medal. Robert Gallagher, a police forensics manager, was made an MBE; Colin Kelsey, who led the NHS response, an OBE. [30]
Ariana Grande, whose concert had ended shortly before the explosion, posted on her official Twitter account: "broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don't have words." [31] Her management team added that they "mourn the lives of children and loved ones taken by this cowardly act". [32] The tweet briefly became the most-liked tweet in history. [33]
In a statement released on 26 May, Grande said that she would return to Manchester to host a benefit concert to raise funds for the victims, and that she would "extend my hand and heart and everything I possibly can give to you and yours, should you want or need my help in any way". [34] The One Love Manchester concert was subsequently announced for 4 June at Old Trafford Cricket Ground, with Grande being joined by artists including Coldplay, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Take That, Miley Cyrus and Pharrell Williams. [35] Proceeds aided the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, established after the attack by Manchester City Council and the British Red Cross. [36] Tickets for the event sold out within twenty minutes of going on sale. In addition, some tickets were reserved for people who had been at the Manchester Arena Concert. [37] Following the attack in London the day before the show, Greater Manchester Police announced that security would be tighter than planned. [38] The concert was televised, and watched by more than 100 million people worldwide. It raised proceeds exceeding £10 million ($13 million) in the twelve hours following its conclusion. [39]
As part of a new scheme to recognise people who have made an outstanding contribution to Manchester, on 13 June, Manchester City Council announced plans to honour Grande with honorary citizenship of the city. [40] On 12 July, members of the City Council voted unanimously to give her honorary citizenship. [41]
Columnist Katie Hopkins suggested the need for a "final solution", which was interpreted by some [42] as calling for ethnic cleansing of the UK's Muslim population. [43] [44] However she then deleted her tweet and replaced the words "final solution" with "true solution". [45] LBC, a London-based talk radio station on which Hopkins had hosted a Sunday morning programme since April 2016, subsequently announced that she would be leaving their presenting lineup immediately. [46]
Comedian Rufus Hound wrote several tweets accusing the Conservative Party of committing the attack for electoral gains, comparing it to the Reichstag fire of 1933. [47] He subsequently retracted the conspiracy theory following criticism from other Twitter users. [48]
Wendy Williams paid tribute on her TV show on May 30, as her fan Martyn Hett was supposed to be in the audience of her show that day and the day before, and Wendy left a seat open . "[Hett] saved for two years to have fabulous time in New York and come to our show. He called it a trip of a lifetime on his social media. ... He’s remembered as a man who loved life, like all my people, who loved life with passion, courage and laughter. ... So Martyn, in honor of you, we're keeping that chair open. And our thoughts and prayers out to you [Wendy points and looks up.] and your family" [49] [50] [51]
Eminem and Justin Timberlake helped raise over $2 million for the victims. [52] Liam Gallagher announced a solo gig at Manchester's O2 Ritz, the proceeds of which would be donated to a fund established by the families of the victims. [53] Mariah Carey sent condolences to the family and friends of victim Martyn Hett, who was an open fan of hers that once met her at a fan meet-up. [54]
At a large public vigil held on Wednesday 24 May in Albert Square, Manchester the Bishop of Manchester, David Walker, shared a platform with Imam Irfan Chishti of Manchester Central Mosque and a number of other local religious leaders to jointly condemn the attack and to remember the victims. [55] [56] British Muslim groups, such as the Muslim Council of Britain [57] [58] [59] and Ahmadi Muslims UK [60] condemned the attack and expressed their condolences.
The worker bee has been a symbol of Manchester since the Industrial Revolution, when it was adopted in the city's coat of arms to represent industriousness, and bee motifs have been used to decorate various architectural features and street furniture in the city. [61] In the aftermath of the bombing, the bee began to gain in popularity as a symbol of public unity against terrorism, appearing on protest banners and graffiti. [62] A campaign was launched by a tattoo artist in Stalybridge to offer tattoos of the worker bee symbol for a £50 donation to support victims of the bombing. The Manchester Tattoo Appeal rapidly gained in popularity and spread to other tattoo parlours in Manchester and elsewhere. [63] [64] Grande was among those to have a bee tattoo, posting an image of it on her social media shortly after the first anniversary of the attack, along with the word "forever". [65]
On 16 August 2017, it was announced that Manchester Arena would reopen on 9 September, with a benefit concert featuring Noel Gallagher and other acts associated with the North West. [66] On 5 September it was announced the concert would be broadcast live on BBC Radio Manchester, Key 103 and Radio X. [67]
Manchester Arena is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights space. Prior to the opening of Co-op Live, the arena had the highest seating capacity of any indoor venue in the United Kingdom, and is the third-largest in Europe with a capacity of 21,000.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England.
Parrs Wood High School is a coeducational secondary school in East Didsbury, Manchester, England, located off Wilmslow Road behind Parrs Wood Entertainment Complex. It educates pupils from the age of 11 to 18 years. A-Levels are taught at the Parrs Wood Sixth Form Centre, which is integrated with the main school.
Didsbury Mosque is on Burton Road in West Didsbury, Manchester, England. The building was originally Albert Park Methodist Chapel, which opened in 1883, but closed in 1962 and was later converted into a mosque. It has an attendance of around 1,000 people. The mosque Sheikh is Mustafa Abdullah Graf.
The city of Manchester in North West England is represented by various symbols. Many of these symbols are derived from coat of arms granted to the Corporation of Manchester when the borough of Manchester was granted city status in 1842. Notably, the motif of the worker bee has been widely used to represent the city as a symbol of industry.
The Dangerous Woman Tour was the third concert tour and the second arena tour by American singer Ariana Grande, in support of her third studio album, Dangerous Woman (2016). It traveled across North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Oceania. The tour started on February 3, 2017, in Phoenix, Arizona, and ended on September 21, 2017, in Hong Kong. The tour was temporarily halted on May 22, 2017, due to a terrorist bombing that occurred shortly after the Manchester Arena show, killing 22 concert-goers and injuring 1,017 others. After organizing and performing at the One Love Manchester benefit concert, Grande resumed the tour on June 7, 2017, in Paris.
Islamic terrorism has been carried out in Europe by the jihadist groups Islamic State (ISIL) or Al-Qaeda as well as Islamist lone wolves since the late 20th century. Europol, which releases the annual EU Terrorism Situation and Trend report (TE-SAT), used the term "Islamist terrorism" in reports for the years 2006–2010, "religiously inspired terrorism" for the years 2011–2014, and has used "jihadist terrorism" since then. Europol defines jihadism as "a violent ideology exploiting traditional Islamic concepts".
The Manchester Arena bombing, or Manchester Arena attack, was an Islamic terrorist suicide bombing of the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, on 22 May 2017, following a concert by American pop singer Ariana Grande. Perpetrated by Islamic extremist Salman Abedi and aided by his brother, Hashem Abedi, the bombing occurred at 22:31 and killed 22 people, injured 1,017, and destroyed the arena's foyer. It was the deadliest act of terrorism and the first suicide bombing in the United Kingdom since the 7 July 2005 London bombings.
Operation Temperer is a British government plan to deploy troops to support and free up police officers in key locations following a major terrorist attack or major public disorder. It was put into effect for the first time on 22 May 2017 following the bombing of an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena, and for a second time following the Parsons Green bombing.
One Love Manchester was a benefit concert and British television special on 4 June 2017, organised by American singer Ariana Grande, Simon Moran, Melvin Benn and Scooter Braun in response to the bombing after the singer's concert at Manchester Arena two weeks earlier. It took place at Old Trafford Cricket Ground, and was attended by 55,000 people. Guest stars included Justin Bieber, the Black Eyed Peas, Coldplay, Miley Cyrus, Mac Miller, Marcus Mumford, Niall Horan, Little Mix, Katy Perry, Take That, Imogen Heap, Victoria Monét, Pharrell Williams, Robbie Williams and Liam Gallagher.
On 3 June 2017, a terrorist vehicle-ramming and stabbing took place in London, England. A van was deliberately driven into pedestrians on London Bridge, and then crashed on Borough High Street, just south of the River Thames. The van's three occupants then ran to the nearby Borough Market area and began stabbing people in and around restaurants and pubs. They were shot dead by Metropolitan Police and City of London Police authorised firearms officers, and were found to be wearing fake explosive vests. Eight people were killed and 48 were injured, including members of the public and four unarmed police officers who attempted to stop the assailants. British authorities described the perpetrators as "radical Islamist terrorists".
On 19 June 2017, an Islamophobic terrorist attack occurred in Finsbury Park, London, England, when a van was intentionally driven into a crowd of Muslim pedestrians near the Muslim Welfare House, 100 yards (90 m) from the Finsbury Park Mosque, resulting in the death of a man and 11 injuries. The attack was found to be motivated by Islamophobia.
On 15 September 2017, at around 08:20 BST, an explosion occurred on a District line train at Parsons Green Underground station, in London, England. Thirty people were treated in hospital or an urgent care centre, mostly for burn injuries, by a botched, crude "bucket bomb" with a timer containing the explosive chemical TATP. Police arrested the main suspect, 18-year-old Iraqi asylum seeker Ahmed Hassan, in a departure area of the Port of Dover the next day, and subsequently raided several addresses, including the foster home of an elderly couple in Sunbury-on-Thames where Hassan lived following his arrival in the United Kingdom two years earlier claiming to be an asylum seeker.
Crime in Greater Manchester has the second-highest incidence in England and Wales after Greater London. Crime in Greater Manchester is the responsibility of the GMP. Its PCC was abolished in May 2017.
"Breathin" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande. It was released on September 18, 2018, by Republic Records as the third and final single from her fourth studio album Sweetener (2018). It was sent to contemporary hit radio stations in the United States on September 18, 2018. Produced by Ilya Salmanzadeh, "Breathin" is a dance-pop and electro-R&B song that features synthesizers and an upbeat production incorporating disco and EDM elements. The song is based on Grande's experiences with post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the Manchester Arena bombing, and the lyrics describe how Grande uses breathing exercises to recover from panic attacks.
"Get Well Soon" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande, who co-wrote the song with its producer Pharrell Williams. It is the final track on Grande's fourth studio album Sweetener (2018). It is inspired by Grande's personal anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the May 2017 terrorist attack after her concert in Manchester, United Kingdom.
"Unaccommodating" is a song by American rapper Eminem, released from his eleventh studio album, Music to Be Murdered By, in 2020. It is the second track on the album, and features American rapper Young M.A performing the first verse. Recording sessions took place at Effigy Studios in Detroit with Mike Strange. Production was handled by Tim Suby with additional production by Eminem. The song is also Eminem's fastest using the method of the fastest peak burst, at 13.04 syllables per second.
Devastated to learn that one of the victims in Manchester was part of the #Lambily. RIP Martyn Hett. We will cherish your memory forever. His family and all the families affected are in my thoughts and prayers.