Following the events of the
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings, often referred to as 7/7, were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks carried out by Islamic terrorists in London that targeted commuters travelling on the city's public transport system during the mo ...
, the United Kingdom and other nations have devised many ways to honour the dead and missing. Most of these memorials included
moments of silence,
candle-lit vigil
A vigil, from the Latin ''vigilia'' meaning ''wakefulness'' ( Greek: ''pannychis'', or ''agrypnia'' ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word ''vigilia'' has become gener ...
s, and laying of
flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s at the bombing sites. Foreign leaders have also honoured the dead by ordering their flags to be
half-mast
Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a salut ...
ed, signed books of condolences at
embassies
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...
of the United Kingdom, and issued messages of support and condolences to the British people.
United Kingdom
*The government ordered the
Union Flag
The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...
to be flown at half-mast on 8 July.
* On 9 July, the Bishop of London led prayers for the victims during a service paying tribute to the role of women during World War II.
*
Vigil for the Victims of the London Bombingswas held from 5pm on Saturday 9 July, at Friends Meeting House garden, Euston Road, opposite Euston station, London, UK. The vigil was called by
Stop the War Coalition
The Stop the War Coalition (StWC), informally known simply as Stop the War, is a British group established on 21 September 2001, shortly after the September 11 attacks, to campaign against what it believes are unjust wars.
The Coalition has c ...
,
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) is an organisation that advocates unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United Kingdom, international nuclear disarmament and tighter international arms regulation through agreements such as the Nuc ...
and
Muslim Association of Britain
The Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) is a British Sunni Muslim organisation founded in 1997. MAB has been well known for its participation in the protests opposing the Iraq War. More recently, it has been known for promoting Muslim partic ...
.
* A two-minute silence for the victims of the bombings was held on 14 July 2005 throughout Europe.
* On 14 July, thousands attended a vigil at 18:00 on Trafalgar Square. After an initial silence there was a series of speakers for the next two hours. Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks speaking of London said: "It has the courage not to give terror the victory of making us angry and in our anger lose the values that make us what we are. Let that courage unite us now." His words were echoed by many of the other speakers.
* A memorial service was held at
St Paul's Cathedral, on 1 November 2005.
* A two-minute silence was held at 12:00
BST on 7 July 2006 across the country to commemorate those who died, or who were affected by the events.
* A permanent memorial was opened by
Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
on 7 July 2009, four years after the bombings, in
Hyde Park, London.
International
Condolence books
*New Zealand In
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
, New Zealand,
Prince William of Wales signed the book of condolence at the British consulate.
*United States In
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, the U.S. Army band played ''
God Save the Queen
"God Save the King" is the national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in plainchant, bu ...
'' outside the
British Embassy in Washington D.C. Dozens of flower bouquets and notes were left at the embassy with messages such as, "Today, we are all British". US President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
visited the Embassy on 8 July upon his return from the G8 summit, and signed the book of condolence. On 12 July, a
Detroit Symphony Orchestra brass ensemble played ''God Save the Queen'' during the pre-game festivities of the
Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...
at
Comerica Park
Comerica Park is a baseball stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It has been the home of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers since 2000, when the team left Tiger Stadium.
History Construction
Founded in 1894, the Tigers had played at the c ...
in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
.
Flag half-masting
*Canada – All federal government buildings and establishments across Canada, including the
Peace Tower
The Peace Tower (french: link=no, Tour de la Paix) is a focal bell and clock tower sitting on the central axis of the Centre Block of the Canadian parliament buildings in Ottawa, Ontario. The present incarnation replaced the Victoria Towe ...
, and in the United Kingdom.
*New Zealand – Prime Minister
Helen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark (born 26 February 1950) is a New Zealand politician who served as the 37th prime minister of New Zealand from 1999 to 2008, and was the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme from 2009 to 2017. She was ...
requested that flags in New Zealand fly at half mast the day following the bombings.
*France – President
Jacques Chirac requested that flags in France fly at half mast for 3 days.
Moments of silence
* European Union – The
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
held a
minute of silence to mourn the victims of the explosions.
*Poland – The Polish Parliament,
Sejm
The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of ...
lower house observed a
moment of silence
A moment of silence (also referred to as a minute's silence or a one-minute silence) is a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation. Similar to flying a flag at half-mast, a moment of silence is often a gesture of ...
.
*Ireland – The
Irish Government
The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.
The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The gover ...
organised a two-minute silence on Thursday 14 July, at the same time as in the United Kingdom.
*Russia – Flowers were laid at the
British Embassy in Moscow as a
minute of silence was observed by both staff and locals, who held hands and formed a human chain in solidarity on 8 July 2005.
Services
*Spain – ''God Save the Queen'' was played at the changing of the royal guard at
Plaza de Oriente
The Plaza de Oriente is a square in the Historic district, historic center of Madrid, Spain. Rectangular in shape and monumental in character, it was designed in 1844 by Narciso Pascual Colomer, Narciso Pascual y Colomer. The square was propagated ...
in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
in memorial to the victims of the attack. The ceremony was attended by the British Ambassador, and members of the
Spanish royal family. After the
Madrid train bombings, the UK hosted a similar ceremony at
Buckingham Palace.
[(13 July 2005).]
Spain Royal Guard Honours London
. BBC. Retrieved 4 September 2007.
*Australia – ''God Save the Queen'' was sung at a service at
St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney.
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
John Howard
John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...
read a bible passage and
Phillip Jensen
Phillip David Jensen (born 1945) is an Australian cleric of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney and the former Dean of St Andrew's Cathedral. He is the brother of Peter Jensen, the former Anglican Archbishop of Sydney.
Early life and conversion
J ...
gave a sermon on the problem of evil and what the Bible says about this.
References
{{reflist
Memorials and services, 7 July 2005