Other people know better than I do precisely what happened on Saturday evening in London Bridge and Borough Market. I had a small window into the 40 minutes of horror that was the latest terrorist attack on British soil.
I am so lucky that I leave only with raw nerves and an important story. Others were much less so. They are mourning loved ones that will never come home or sitting by hospital beds praying that their nearest and dearest will recover. They are in our thoughts on every step of the way as this city internalises what happened and proves that it is the best city in the world. My thoughts are with each of them and those who are struggling to deal with the ordeal they went through, physically injured or not.
What I witnessed was not the barbarism of three cowardly men and the hate that inspired this. I did not see any of their actions. Just the consequences.
I hope that the man and woman who I saw bloodied as they left the neighbouring restaurant got the paramedic support they so clearly needed. I hope that they were not part of the seven who perished in the wake of such violence. I hope.
It is the little acts of heroism that I remember. The man who tipped us off when he could have just ran for cover. The guy who put our lives before his and threw things at the murderers to stop them harming a young woman. The young, under-paid and over-worked waiter who put his foot and body behind the glass door while the restaurant keys were found.
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The brave armed police who had the rest of us safe in just eight minutes. The paramedics who ran towards the danger and then turned their back on it to focus on their patient. They then tried to piece back together the lives in front of them while the rest of us ran for ours.
These are London’s heroes. These are the people whose names I want to know and learn even if I never get to meet them.
Two weeks ago Manchester gave us the blueprint for a city that comes together after such horror and hate. They showed Britain at its best. That task now falls to Londoners. We have done it before, I am sure we will do it again.
There are small things all of us can do to help London rebuild. I for one will be going back to pay my bill, and more importantly, double the tip of the incredible staff who looked out for our welfare when their own welfare was so palpably at risk.
Arabica Bar and Kitchen is no global chain and I know how London’s waiters live off their tips as much as their wages. It literally is the least we can do.
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I shall be going back with more friends very soon – there is an unfinished ‘duck and date’ dish with my name on it.
More importantly, if it is drinking gin and tonics with my friends, flirting with handsome men and hanging out with strong women that continues to offend the cowards who sought to cause us such harm, then I for one will be doing it more not less.
The hate that drove those three thugs to commit this vile act is best responded to with love. With the democracy, pluralism, feminism, equality and unity that they hate. The best way to beat them back is with our defiance. They shall not change our way of life.
Richard Angell is the director of Progress