London Terrorist Attack

On June 3, 2017

A terrorist assault took place in the Southward neighborhood of London. The terror act, which comprised ramming a vehicle into unwary people, resulted in eight fatalities and forty-eight injuries. On the London Bridge, the incident took place. In addition, the attackers stabbed innocent bystanders in the market close to the bridge. The attack, which was motivated by a single terrible ideology of Islamist extremism, struck the center of London. Nevertheless, it was lucky that the London police were able to kill the terrorists before they could further endanger the public. It is of the essence to recognize that Great Britain had been the target of consecutive terrorism within two months and the number of deaths and casualties were large as well. The other two incidences happened in Westminster and Manchester in March and May respectively.

Summary

According to the police, the van entered the London Bridge a few minutes after 10 p.m., where the three attackers drove into pedestrians. After a short while, the local police department received alerts of a mysterious van hitting people on the London Bridge. Additionally, there was a second report in a nearby Borough market; police arrived at both locations in time to mitigate the effects of the attack. A witness claims that he saw the vehicle speed across the overpass. Consecutively, the van veered off the pavement and crashed into pedestrians; gun shots could be heard immediately at the scene. Police said that three suspects were shot dead at the Borough market, announcing that the two incidents were terrorist attacks (Victoria, & Koubaridis, 2017). Six people, excluding the attackers, were reported dead, and 48 others hospitalized in critical conditions.

The terrorist attack was not a one-time incident because the country had suffered two similar attacks within two months. Additionally, terror attacks have frequently been happening not only in London but other parts of the world. In most cases, the ISIS claim responsibility of such attacks; the Islamic State’s official Amaq News Agency posted a message claiming that the London Bridge attack was carried out by ISIS fighters. Although the London bridge incident had no direct connection with the previous attacks, it is an indication that there is a terrorism wave in Britain. Counterterrorism sources said that there was evidence that suggested the three attackers might have been planning for months and were waiting to strike. Therefore, it is important for this country to ensure they adequately prepare for more attacks in the future, probably of greater magnitude.

Analysis

From a sociological perspective, terrorism is a social phenomenon that identifies the roles that different aspects of society play. Terrorists can be considered to portray deviant behavior; it includes transgressing against socially established norms in a given society, for instance, the attackers of the London Bridge were known for radical views. Additionally, they were associated with the Muslim religion, which advocates for such activities in the spirit of bravery and solidarity. Most terrorists believe that violence is their power weapon; as such, if they do not use violent activities, they will lose a power struggle. In essence, a terrorist has no political power or money required to wage war. As a result, they use terrorism as a means to achieve their political objectives by agitating the government (Sznaider, 2006). Thus, the London Bridge attack was a deviant behavior as the attackers went from the normal goings on of society.

Terrorism may be expected to have devastating effects in our era. As such, it is crucial to stimulate development of social control as a sociological ideology. Pure terrorism in the form of distinctive form of social control; it arises with a particular social geometry. Essentially, our behavior, thoughts, and appearances are regulated by the social structures, laws, and norms. Social control is a necessary component of social order; a community cannot function without an agreed order. Terrorists seek to inflict damage and pain on the country, an aspect that is driven is one is not social control. To make sure that social control is observed and terrorism is reduced, social power and identity salience should be harnessed; the connection will increase the understanding of causes, response, and solutions to terrorism.

From a constructivist point of view, terrorism results from the social construction in the society. The terrorists are a product of discourse (Sznaider, 2006). As a result, people make the reality of terrorism depending on their interpretations. Although terrorism is a reality because there are radicalized people who conduct acts of violence, it is constituted through discourse. Certain social constructs about terrorists determine the effectiveness of counter-terrorism policies. For instance, people associate war with unusual measures, implementation and allocation of funds in efforts to stop the fight. Such a construct is viewed from an unrealistic perspective; people view war as a situation of expense and practical outcome. Considering terrorism as a social construct brings up the questions about the established absurdity of unthinkable policies (Sznaider, 2006). In addition, reflecting on the fact that there is externally existing information about a terrorist leads to further investigations on what has been considered appropriate strategies against terrorism.

One of the significant causes of terrorism in the modern world is social stratification. Particularly on national and international levels. It comprises of social inequalities in society and is divided into social classes by income, lifestyle, presence or absence of privilege among other factors. Societies have been stratified on an economic and political basis; an aspect that promotes terrorist activities because of the separation. The overall psychology of society is impacted by social-negative conflicts since it results in social instability. Besides, the other notable form of social segmentation is ethnic and religious stratification. Religious inequality has in some way served as inherent in any society where in each stage of historical development, various groups have expressed their interests. For instance, the different attacks in London have been associated with Muslims who fight to be heard and recognized by the government (Victoria, & Koubaridis, 2017). Therefore, the growth of different religions in the world is being used for wrong reasons like anarchy and terrorism.

Conclusion

The London Bridge attack took place in June 2017 leaving seven people dead in addition to many fatalities. The incident was the third terrorist confrontation in the country within two months. The three attackers are said to be of the Muslim religion, seeking recognition from the government. Although the city law enforcers killed the three attackers, the country should prepare more and get equipped with the intelligence to avoid similar incidences in the future. There is also no clarity on whether the attackers were acting alone or were part of a bigger group formed to carry out consecutive damage to the peace of the country. It is evident that there is a wave of terror attacks emerging against Great Britain and the government needs to improve its intelligence.

References

Sznaider, N. (June 01, 2006). Terrorism and the Social Contract. Irish Journal of Sociology, 15, 1, 7-23.

Victoria, C., &Koubaridis, Andrew. (June 5, 2017). Seven people confirmed dead and dozens

Injured in London terror attack. Last Retrieved 08, 2017 www.news.com.au/world/...londonbridge/.../1c9e003da0d2b182b19f5a600106c725