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This past weekend presented another harrowing series of days for the United Kingdom.
On Saturday night in London, three men drove a white van into a group of pedestrians on London Bridge. The van then continued on to nearby nightspot Borough Market, where the men exited and began stabbing civilians in pubs and restaurants. Less than 10 minutes after being alerted, police put an end to the violence by shooting roughly 50 bullets at the attackers, killing all three and hitting one civilian, who is said to be in stable condition.
As of Monday morning, reports indicate that at least seven people were killed on Saturday and 48 hospitalized — 21 are said to be in critical condition. On Sunday, more than 24 hours after the attack occurred, the Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Saturday's events came less than two weeks after a terrorist bombing killed 22 people in the city of Manchester, and is the third major terrorist attack to hit England in the last three months.
In its wake, the message sent by many Londoners, including those who survived the attack, was one of solidarity. But while the people of England seem to be united in the wake of the attack, politicians across the world did not put up such a unified front.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan issued a swift condemnation of the attackers, saying he was “appalled and furious” at the “cowardly” attack. He also urged residents to remain calm, even as police presence in the city is heightened over the last several days, telling Londoners there was "no reason to be alarmed" by the increase in security.
On Twitter, President Donald Trump called out Mayor Khan for telling the public that there was "no reason to be alarmed" after the attack, seemingly taking the mayor's message out of context.
In her response to the attack, British Prime Minister Theresa May, who is facing a general election this Thursday, outlined four changes that need to take place in order to properly counter terrorism in the United Kingdom. But former U.K. Independence Party Leader Nigel Farage told Fox News on Sunday that he was not reassured by her words, and that "unless people see some really concrete action is going to be taken, then I think the calls for interning thousands of suspects will grow louder and louder.”
For more on the British government’s ongoing response to Saturday’s attack, The Takeaway turns to Usama Hasan, head of Islamic Studies with Quilliam International.