Van Mows Down 20 People on London Bridge

[Atilla60]

The story is developing and is still based on unconfirmed reports
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4569638/Car-ploughs-20-people-London-Bridge.html

[Staggerwing]

Shit, not again...

Prayers for the victims.  :(

[Gusington]

 >:(

[Nefaro]

As if every week is Ramadan nowadays.

>:(


Has been reports of accompanying knife attacks.


Maybe it's the Buddhists .. or something?  ::)

[bbmike]

Dammit, we need to stop this crap. 

[Staggerwing]

How? Ban all vans and small trucks?

[mirth]

Knife attacks as well.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/03/world/europe/london-bridge-van.html

[Nefaro]

.....

Just another holiday season.

[SirAndrewD]

You know, I can't even muster a response to these anymore beyond just weak sickened defeated depression.

[bob48]

Pointless waste of lives. So sad.

[markh]

How? Ban all vans and small trucks?

Staggerwing - actually, it is easier than you think to significantly reduce a nation's risk to this sort of thing.  In this instances, like many others previously, we will find out later that these people have been subject to police surveillance at some stage, but, that the police stopped tracking them because the police simply do not have the resources to track all suspects in order to obtain sufficient evidence to lay criminal charges.  In a recent report, the UK Government said they believed 3,000 persons had been radicalised and posed a threat, and a further 20,000 (based on national surveys) displayed some sympathies to radical Islam.

Is there anything that can be done?  We can use technology, a 'tweaking' of the laws that apply to other criminals and stronger law enforcement to collectively reduce the risks.

In Australia, if you try and unlawfully download movies and similar IP protected materials by visiting certain websites your ISP is required to report you.  The ISP can ban you if you repeat the transgression and give your name and contact details to various US companies who may wish to sue you in court - all for trying to download a copy of a 10 year old movie!

Separately, people who visit and view child pornography are routinely tracked, identified and arrested (and do serious time in jail) - locking up these people is something I fully support.

If that type of legal action is generally acceptable to society and has been legislated, there is no reason why we should not electronically track and identify people visiting certain ISIS and similar terrorist website and who are participating in radicalised activity over the net.  We should change the law to bring it into line with the examples I have indicated above.   People supporting terrorist groups by visiting their websites and communicating with them should be identified and hunted down.  If these people are not citizens then deport them - no ifs or buts - and if they are citizens, lock them up in the same way we do to paedophiles. 

Imprisoned radicals will find it harder to carry out terrorist activities.  This is not a total cure, but, it will certainly substantially reduce the problem.  We can also engage them in the fight at a time and place of society's choosing.  We will regain the initiative in what is a low-level armed conflict.

[Nefaro]

Western lawmakers are more worried about being labelled as racists/bigots/whatever than implementing a more aggressive policy to save lives and prevent such things.

Doubly so, since many don't even want to curb the influx of a violent foreign culture & belief system predicated on imposing itself over others.  The people running the show attempt to increase it, for reasons I won't speculate here, while making excuses for, and downplaying, the accompanying violence.  In some places, even going so far as to investigate or arrest people who speak against it.   

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

[JasonPratt]

Meanwhile, Grande, Bieber, et al, held a concert to promote hugs and openness as the solution to all our problems.

I would say they're addressing the wrong people, but they know who they're addressing (i.e., not radical Muslims, the ones who actually attacked Grande.)

[bayonetbrant]

Fuck yeah, Millwall!

http://www.unilad.co.uk/news/lion-of-london-bridge-took-on-london-terror-attackers-with-bare-fists/