Manchester Arena - ongoing incident 22/5

I have to say I agree with this - a concert taking place, when most of the funerals haven't even happened, that just feels like the wrong way round to me. Yes, of course, let's celebrate the resilience of Manchester, and the fans of Ariana etc, but allow just a little more passage of time than not even 2 weeks after 22 people died. The fact is, the police are in the middle of a fully active investigation, with multiple suspects still in custody, and we're asking GMP to deploy significant resources to police a concert at the same time. This isn't like the Great Manchester Run, which was always scheduled to happen, and did - just with a higher security presence. This is a brand new event, requiring new resources to enable it to happen.

The fact that there are families who don't want this to happen speaks volumes for the fact that this is just too soon. I have friends and acquaintances who were either at the gig, or were involved in the aftermath. I know already that the young girls in my family, who attended the original gig, are not going back to the benefit concert, despite being offered free tickets. For a couple of them, they are too shaken to consider dealing with a 50,000 capacity crowd, as well as the heightened emotions of the event - my goddaughter especially is having a terrible time - in the midst of what should be her AS level exams (one godsend is that the government fiddling with A-levels means that none of her marks will contribute to her A-level exams next year). For one very young girl I know, who's a close friend of my young nephew, her family will not even consider allowing her to go to another concert - she is 9 years old and was taken to the Ariana concert, as her very first gig experience, by her teenage brother, and they just can't cope with the idea of her (or him) returning to a concert environment right now.

For all that it's a very noble idea and cause, I can't help but wonder about the potentially slightly cynical nature of a concert promoter who may be thinking they need to 'capitalise' on the recentness of the incident, before it fades from people's memories and becomes a less 'immediate' venture. 3-6 months may have been an appropriate time length for there to have been immediate healing, before celebrating the spirit of resilience, but would there have been as much public appetite for the gig - or the willingness of major stars to take part? I'm just feeling cynical, and sad, right now.

I understand all the comments about it being too soon but in some respects the coming together of Manchester to stand against this threat has been a great example of good coming from bad and shining through.

In terms of policing of a new event and the resources required there will be significant resources taken up in the Old Trafford area for an event that has moved its start time to allow this concert to go ahead. That event has ticket sales currently around the 65000 mark so the policing plan was already in place.

I fully agree with all of that. I fear you will now not allow me to attend though. Had tickets for original show, still have them as never sold them on so believe my application to be legitimate. Your thoughts?

Up to 80000 people evacuated from a festival in Germany this evening due to a concrete threat received by authorities. Sad that any threat appears to be targeting the entertainment industry as we enter the festival season here

He prob doesn't have to as they have not released the religion of whomever did this yet

??!

So what religion was the person then?

Parsley basically stated that all terrorists are Muslims (or at least, the ones recently active in Western countries). The Finsbury Park attacker targeted Muslims, has been reported as shouting that all Muslims should be killed, and as a white person is mathematically unlikely to be Muslim himself. It really doesn't matter what religious affiliation he *has*, if any, the mere fact of his most likely not being Muslim is enough in itself to contradict Parsley's flat-out offensive statement. It's taking nitpicking to an absurd degree to try arguing against that.

I was responding solely to the post i quoted. I hadnt linked it at all to parsleys post. Wasnt trying to nitpick at all, just making an observation. Sorry if it came across as nitpicking
Im insulted at the insinuation that I was arguing against anything of the sort.

You can't say nitpicking anymore. Look it up