London responds to latest terror attack with ‘stiff upper lip,’ characteristic resilience

iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Londoners are responding to the the latest terror attack with a characteristic British resilience that became famous after the capital city was bombed relentlessly by Nazis in World War II.

Seven people were killed and dozens injured after the attack Saturday night that began with a van plowing into crowds of people on London Bridge and continued at nearby Borough Market when three knife-wielding men jumped out of the vehicle and began stabbing people. Three suspects were shot dead by police.

It is the third recent terror attack in the country and comes days before a general election on Thursday.

Campaigning was called off until Monday in light of the attack, but Prime Minister Theresa May said the election will take place as planned, expressing the country’s resolve.

“Violence can never be allowed to disrupt the democratic process,” she said. “So those campaigns will resume in full tomorrow, and the general election will go ahead as planned on Thursday.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan similarly voiced a note of defiance against terrorists.

“We are all shocked and angry today — but this is our city,” Khan said on Twitter. “We will never let these cowards win and we will never be cowed by terrorism.

 A moment of silence will be held Tuesday at 11 a.m. local time “in remembrance of those who lost their lives and all others affected by the attacks in London Saturday night,” according to an announcement from the national government. Flags will remain at half-mast on Whitehall government buildings until Tuesday evening.

On Twitter, The Churchill Society, an organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of Winston Churchill, the prime minister during the Second World War, compared Britain’s response to terrorism to its attitude during what is remembered as the London blitz, when German troops in 1940 bombed the city for 18 hours straight

The saying “London Can Take It” became popular after a short propaganda film was widely distributed in 1940 throughout the U.S. The film “conveys the spirit and atmosphere of the 1940 blitz on the capital” and is “historically one of the most important war films,” according to The National Archives.

 The motivational saying “Keep Calm and Carry On” also stemmed in the World War II era in England. Posters were produced in 1939 in preparation for the war, according to the website that features officially licensed merchandise with the saying.

The calm resilience of the British people is also commonly referred to as their having “stiff upper lip.”

Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

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