London terror attack: Fake Tube sign goes viral, reaches parliament
The message, “All terrorists are politely reminded that THIS IS LONDON and whatever you do to us we will drink tea and jolly well carry on. Thank you”, was brought up in the House of Commons after Prime Minister Theresa May made a statement on the attack.
It may or may not reflect the famed London spirit of stoicism and carrying on in the face of adversity, but a message on a signboard purportedly in the city’s underground train network, the Tube, soon went viral after Wednesday’s terror attack and figured in parliament on Thursday.
Twitter users had fun spreading it around as if it was written by Tube staff because it reminded many of the Victorian wartime poster, “Keep calm and carry on” – except this one was fake and created by an online sign generator. It was never put up in the Tube.
Nevertheless, it made it to BBC Radio 4 as MPs, journalists and others felt it encapsulated the feeling of Londoners after the terror attack that left four killed and 29 injured.
The message was: “All terrorists are politely reminded that THIS IS LONDON and whatever you do to us we will drink tea and jolly well carry on. Thank you.”
It was brought up in the House of Commons after Prime Minister Theresa May made a statement on the attack, and MPs followed it up with their tributes and comments on the incident.
Conservative MP Simon Hoare read the “message” out, to which May responded by calling it “a wonderful tribute” which “encapsulated everything everybody in this house has said today”.
The sign was reportedly created by Yorkshire-based developer Tim Waters, who in 2015 was asked by a lawyer of London’s transport network to take it down because of concerns that it was being used to circulate racist messages. However, a mirror site was set up soon after.