Man Who Saved Lives in Terror Attack Forced To Take De-Radicalization Classes
In June 2017, Roy Larner became the “Lion of London Bridge” after taking on jihadist terrorists during an attack. He was hailed as a hero for his bravery in the face of imminent danger.
But now, his own government is essentially treating him no better than the terrorists he courageously fended off.
In the wake of the jihadist attack, Larner was contacted by anti-Islam supporters, which apparently sent red flags to London government officials. It was such a big deal that it landed him in the anti-terrorist “Prevent” program.
Authorities are worried that the “far-right” individuals are going to convert Larner into an extremist of some sort, according to the U.K. Daily Mail.
Now the “Lion of London Bridge” has to attend de-radicalization classes and is being monitored by police.
“They treat me like a terrorist but I’m not political at all,” he told The Sun.
The reasoning behind the move could possibly be connected to signs of instability that Larner has exhibited in the past. In February 2017, he was recorded spitting on a black photographer and seething about “foreign c—-s” who “stink like s—t” while taking his dogs for a stroll.
In 2018, he was found to be in illegal possession of the powerful opioid fentanyl.
It’s not clear if Larner’s past played a part in the decision to place him in the program. At this point, all that’s known is that being contacted by anti-Islam radicals seemed to be enough for local law enforcement to deem Larner worthy of their controversial Prevent initiative.
A spokesman for the U.K.’s Home Office described the program.
“Prevent safeguards people who may be vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism. It is entirely up to an individual whether they accept the support offered through Prevent,” the spokesman told Daily Mail.
“The support people receive through Prevent is rightly confidential and it would not be appropriate to comment on whether or not an individual has been offered support.”
A glaring issue with his placement in the program is that the U.K. government seemingly didn’t take into account Larner’s actions — heroic actions that saved the lives of others while nearly sacrificing his own in the process.
In an interview with the Sun after the 2017 attack, Larner described what happened as he encountered three terrorists at a Borough Market restaurant.
“I took a few steps towards them and said, ‘F— you, I’m Millwall’. So they started attacking me.”
“I stood in front of them trying to fight them off. Everyone else ran to the back. I was on my own against all three of them, that’s why I got hurt so much,” he said.
Larner described the scene, saying there was “blood everywhere” as he got “stabbed and sliced eight times.” The knife-wielding terrorists struck Larner in the head, chest and hands.
“They were saying, ‘Islam, Islam!’. I said again, ‘F— you, I’m Millwall!’ It was the worst thing I could have done as they carried on attacking me,” he said. “Luckily, none of the blows were straight at me or I’d be dead.”
Despite his past, Larner will always be remembered for his heroic actions at that moment and government programs and de-radicalization classes will never be able to take that away from him.
Conservative Tribune, a section of The Western Journal, has reached out to the U.K. Home Office for comment but has not yet received a response. We will update this article if and when we do.
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