The terror attack at Parsons Green on the London Underground yesterday has sparked several reactions. It has prompted Theresa May to raise the UK terror threat level from 'severe' to 'critical', it has forced ISIS to claim responsibility for one of the most shambolic attempts at global terror since that man tried to set fire to his vaguely flammable shoes on an international flight. It has also prompted Twitter to create the hashtag #ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim. For what is the most quintessentially British way of dealing with a horrifying attempt to cause widespread devastation and loss of life? Creating a blithe hashtag to ruthlessly and sardonically rip the piss out of the fools responsible.
It seems a particularly admirable way of responding to the situation and reminds me of when, over the summer, while sharing a flat with a British man in Edinburgh, we were evacuated due to a fire alarm (a mixture of frying bacon and deoderant had somehow set it off in the flat downstairs). Despite the fact that we were both dragged out of bed by the wailing siren, I noticed when we were standing outside that despite still being in pyjamas, my friend had put on a pair of smart brogues. Not only that, but he had taken the time to neatly lace them up. He wasn't even wearing socks. This seemed to be the most perfectly British response to an emergency. Despite the chaos, there's still time to make sure you're dealing with it all in your smartest brogues, or by ripping the absolute piss.
The response to this genuinely terrifying, if thankfully poorly executed attack, is genuinely uplifting to see and some of these are absolutely brilliant. It's well worth checking out the #ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim hashtag on Twitter, but below is a list of 20 of the best tweets that caught our eye:
It makes me feel patriotic that Britain is calling IS out on their bollocks and just laughing at them.#ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim
— James O'Flynn (@jamesoflynn) September 16, 2017
#ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim those bags of dog shite that dog walkers casually toss into trees & bushes instead of binning them.All yours.
— Miss Donna Babington (@MissBabington) September 16, 2017
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#ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim That bloke in front of you at the cash machine who wants to check his balance on 24 different cards.
— Britannicus (@davidandvinny) September 16, 2017
That first sip of a hot drink that burns your mouth and ruins your taste buds for the rest of the day. #ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim
— Stephen James (@SteJames88) September 16, 2017
Using your razor after your wife, unbeknownst to you, has shaved her entire body, the cat, and a wilder beast #ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim
— Rev Joe Haward (@revjoehaward) September 16, 2017
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Needing scissors to open this packaging... #ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim pic.twitter.com/Eoj0CSzfp2
— Kerry Fisher ♏ (@kerryfisher1111) September 16, 2017
#ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim Getting Boaty McBoatface renamed The RRS Sir David Attenborough...
... their greatest victory!
????? pic.twitter.com/YkYKYXjw0d— Steven Farrar (@Oo_CRUSTY_oO) September 16, 2017
Those cornflakes that weld themselves to the side of the bowl if you don't wash it up within 5 minutes #ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim
— Simon Wilding ??? (@SJWilding) September 16, 2017
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Autumn dog turds - hidden under leaves. An untold menace for all who walk through them
#ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim— LoveLaughsLipstick (@love_lippy) September 16, 2017
That sock you find after putting a wash on #ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim
— Toni Ⓥ (@GladStanBert) September 16, 2017
#ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim Barry Scott
— TomΛGregory (@TomSN1Gregory) September 16, 2017
Piers Morgan.#ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim
— Hazel Allen (@HazelAllen) September 15, 2017
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#ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim
People who walk in front of you really really slowly.
— Michael Hills (@MikeHills85) September 16, 2017
#ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim that bus driver who sees you running for the bus and just as you get to the door they pull away
— sarah thompson (@harast74) September 16, 2017
Theresa May's facial expressions.#ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim pic.twitter.com/H0LLe4fwIW
— !MEh. (@politicalME2016) September 16, 2017
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PUTTING EMPTY MILK CARTONS BACK IN THE FRIDGE #ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim
— Septic Peg (@clairejt) September 16, 2017
#ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim
price of freddos pic.twitter.com/lR5BgsFJXX
— OliviaDyson (@ThisIsLivvv) September 16, 2017
People using loud drills at 8 a.m. on a weekend morning. #thingsislamicstateshouldclaim
— Suzanne Bosworth ? (@MediaWeasel) September 16, 2017
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#ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim the ridiculously large number of ad breaks during the Great British Bake Off. #GBBO
— Haggis_UK (@Haggis_UK) September 16, 2017
#ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim
The Man Bun
— Corbyn's Cat (@ChampagneDosser) September 16, 2017
Pieces of lego in the floor that you step on with no shoes #ThingsIslamicStateShouldClaim
— James Goyder (@CTFC_Goyder) September 16, 2017