LONDON (AP) People in the U.K. have responded to the deadly London Bridge attack with sorrow and distinctly British humor, hailing a man pictured walking away from the mayhem holding a pint of beer as a tongue-in-cheek symbol of defiance.
Television footage of crowds running away from the attack that killed seven includes a man in a red top walking slowly with a mostly full beer in his hand.
A picture of the man was posted on Twitter by Howard Mannella, who tweeted: “People fleeing #LondonBridge but the bloke on the right isn’t spilling a drop. God Bless the Brits!” The comment received tens of thousands of retweets.
People fleeing #LondonBridge but the bloke on the right isn't spilling a drop. God Bless the Brits! pic.twitter.com/ceeaH0XxeX
— Howard Mannella (@hmannella) June 3, 2017
Some joked on social media about London’s notoriously high prices. Twitter user Andrew Brooks said in response to the photo: “Evacuate? Well, OK. But this beer cost £6 a pint. I’m taking it with me.”
Others mocked U.S. newspaper headlines claiming London was “reeling” or “under siege.”
Actor-comedian Chris Addison encouraged people to tweet ways in which they were reeling.
Responses included “Going to IKEA for meatballs and maybe a rug,” ”I’ve just had some cornflakes. Off to the pub in a bit” and “Currently watching ‘Sing’ on DVD, might mow the lawn later, going to the local Turkish restaurant for tea.”