Remembering 7-7 ten years on

As London once again comes together to remember those loved ones who were tragically injured or lost their lives, we’ll listen and read about the stories from that sombre day.  Here we give you Lee Jasper’s story, then a senior advisor in Mayor Livingstone’s office who was thrust into a position he never wants to repeat again. Here’s his moving story of the 7th July 2005.

10 years ago today London suffered the tragic terrorist attack of 7 July 2005 that took the lives of 52 people in what was a brutal and savage attack on the capitol.  The previous day I stood in Trafalgar Square with a host of sporting stars and celebrities toasting our magnificent achievement of winning the 2012 Olympic Games bid.  In the Mayor’s office we were delighted by the message that London was received as the most diverse city in the world, and reflected the Olympic ideal of inclusive humanity and global diversity.

That morning I had a breakfast meeting and watched the preview of a film I was to see later featuring mothers who lost their children to youth violence and crime.  I was excited to see the film upon seeing the preview, and had made my way for 8.30 am to a cinema in the West End.

The anti-violence film was highly impactful, and after a short viewing I had left to make my way for another full day in the Mayor’s Office.  I left the cinema and immediately my phone began to ring, vibrate and flash serious messages calling me back to City Hall.  For some reason I couldn't get a signal in the city and quickly hailed a cab.  Once out of immediate proximity of the city I got a phone signal and was quickly advised by both the Mayor and Commissioner’s office as to what had happened.

Upon getting to City Hall I was briefed by the Mayor’s senior advisors and MET police officers to discuss how we would respond with the absence of the Mayor who was still in Singapore.  At this stage we knew this was a terrorist attack, and we decided that we needed to ensure that Londoners felt secure with a first class and comprehensive emergency response.

Responsibilities were delegated and I was dispatched to attend the Emergency Response Command and Control centre somewhere in London.  I was collected at City Hall and driven at high speed to a secret location where all of London's key emergency services were assembled with a direct link to the Prime Minister Cabinet COBRA meetings and the Mayor’s Office.  We spent hours that day hurriedly coordinating emergency response numbers for the public, finding temporary mortuary spaces, handling London's traffic, and dealing with press inquiries, whilst assessing the extent of any future potential threat.  Blurs of orders and commands were pouring in from everywhere.

All emergency operational decisions were co-ordinated at this committee, and we sat with a torrent of communications pouring in trying to make sense of what confronted us.  The cooperation and teamwork around that table was amazing, the men and women of London's public service were magnificent and inspiring.

I had never experienced any scenario like this before and I found myself having to take part in what were life and death decisions that could potentially affect the lives of thousands.  Ironically, having experienced large- scale riots, I was more aware than most about what happens in the event of public emergency.

At one point we had no idea if this was a chemical attack or whether other bombs were primed to explode across London.  There were those who wanted to close the entire transport network in fear of harmful chemicals that could be waiting to infect thousands of people.  It was Mayor Ken Livingstone who decided that the Transport system should remain open.  It was a brave decision designed to provide some assurance to a frightened city.

The tension of making decisions that sent people back into the tube and underground was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever been a party too.  On many instances the decision was taken out of our hands as TfL staff, NHS staff and fire fighters considered the risks and went down the tunnels to inspect and save the lives of those who were still caught underground.

Tragedy was affecting all of us together, and this attack affected me personally too.  My son is a fire fighter and was on duty that day.  He was dispatched to the Edgware Road incident and I was desperate to find out if he was safe.  I had news that he was one of the fire crews who went back underground. It was a moment a father will never forget.  On one hand I was brought to tears with his bravery, and on the other I had concern for his and everyone else's safety.

It was with some relief later that day to find out he was safe.  It was a moment that will stay with me forever.  My wife had been going to work that day upon the tube and had been caught up in closures and general panic in London.  A senior member of the Black Police Association, Leroy Logan, had spotted her and had guided her to safety.  I learned that day that a key member of the London Development Agency who was working with me on the Olympics had lost both her legs in the attack.  The city seemed terrified and in need of guidance amongst the panic.  My night before celebrating the Olympic Bid seemed so long ago.

The Mayor gave a speech form Singapore that moved a nation.  His impassioned plea called for the city to come together in unity and damned the terrorists to hell.  He spoke unscripted; he spoke from the heart, he spoke for all of us.  It was a speech that will go down in history as the single most important speech Ken ever made.

In the Mayor’s Office we had quickly conceived a ' London United ' community reassurance campaign that could provide a platform for community events and response events across London.  We were determined that we would avoid the scenario of a backlash of racial or religious attacks. We had brought communities together, and our commitment to promoting multiculturalism helped provide the leadership the city now needed.  This campaign proved a huge success.  We prevented serious disorder and provided leadership for a city under attack.  London United brought communities together and allowed the city to mourn and stand in defiance in the spirit that Ken had spoken with in Singapore.

The details of this day are seared into my memory.  I arrived home more than 24 hrs later at around 11pm on the 8th July, by which time the full scale of the tragedy had unfolded.  My family and I were safe, and as I sat and absorbed the enormity of it all I broke down and cried.

This was a day I and many others will never, ever forget.

by Lee Jasper