Danger of attack Terror at Taylor on the Thames? London is relaxed
Taylor Swift's Vienna concerts were canceled due to the threat of terrorism. Now London is on the tour schedule. How nervous are people in the British capital?
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Taylor Swift is ending the European leg of her Eras tour with five concerts at London's Wembley Stadium despite previous terror threats in Vienna.
- British police do not currently believe there is a terror threat to the London concerts and are working closely with security teams to keep the events safe.
- Despite the events in Vienna and increased ticket sales on the secondary market, it remains unclear whether fans will miss out on the London concerts for fear of an attack.
It is supposed to be the climax of a tour of superlatives, the happy conclusion to a mega spectacle. Taylor Swift (34) ends the European leg of her Eras tour with five concerts at London's Wembley Stadium. The first concert takes place on Thursday (August 15).
But after the cancellation of her shows in Vienna due to the threat of terrorism, the anticipation is mixed with the anxious question: will everything go well in the British capital? Almost half a million "Swifties", as the US singer's fans are known, want to attend the five performances.
Shortly before the first live concert in Vienna, the Austrian police uncovered a plot for a suspected Islamist attack on the event. Three suspects were arrested. A 19-year-old made a confession - according to which he wanted to cause a bloodbath among the "Swifties" in front of the stadium in Vienna - and on Sunday things took a turn for the worse: The young man now completely denies the allegations.
Scotland Yard sees no terror threat so far
Is the fear of terrorism also spreading to Taylor on the Thames? There is no talk of this in London. "There is no indication that the matters being investigated by the Austrian authorities will have any impact on upcoming events here in London," the Metropolitan Police told Deutsche Presse-Agentur when asked.
Scotland Yard is working closely with the organizers' security teams and other partners to ensure that appropriate security and surveillance plans are in place. All new information will also be carefully reviewed, it added.
The British Secretary of State for Policing, Diana Johnson, had previously announced that the London police would assess all findings and make a risk assessment for every event in the country. There have been no statements from superstar Swift herself so far - not about the upcoming shows, not about the cancellations in Vienna.
Lessons learned from the Manchester attack
London Mayor Sadiq Khan is trying to calm concerns. He told Sky News that London was looking forward to welcoming Taylor Swift back.
The superstar had already performed three times at Wembley at the start of the Eras tour. The city was in an absolute Swift frenzy. A Taylor map of the "Tube", the London Underground, was published: each line was named after a different album and drawn in the appropriate colors.
Stations were named after songs such as "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "All Too Well". The royal music corps played a version of Swift's hit "Shake It Off" at the Changing of the Guard in front of Buckingham Palace - the Royal Family's official X account posted a video.
The British capital is an international city that regularly hosts XXL events, emphasized Mayor Khan. "We have great experience in policing these events, we are never lax."
Lessons learned from the Manchester bombing
According to Khan, London has also learned many lessons from the bomb attack at a concert in the Manchester Arena in 2017. Back then, an Islamist attacker used a bomb to kill 22 people at a concert by US singer Ariana Grande.
Recently, the British police were not only deployed on a large scale in London due to right-wing extremist riots. There were serious riots in numerous cities and hundreds were arrested. This was preceded by a knife attack on a Taylor Swift dance class for primary school children in the north-western English town of Southport. Three girls were killed. Swift was shocked by the bloody deed. Contrary to the claims of the right-wing extremist rioters, the suspect is not a Muslim migrant, but was born in the UK to Rwandan parents.
There was initially no word of any concrete measures to increase security around the concerts in London. The Wembley Stadium website stated that anyone without a ticket should not arrive. "No one is allowed to stand outside any entrance or on the Olympic steps outside the stadium." However, according to a report in Time magazine, this advice was already given in June before Swift's first performances in London.
Allegedly increased supply of tickets for resale
Whether a significant number of "Swifties" will be deterred from an unforgettable evening with their idol due to fears of an attack is uncertain. The British newspaper "Independent" reported that there had been an increase in the number of available Swift concert tickets on a resale website following the cancellations in Vienna. However, it could not be confirmed beyond doubt whether this was actually the case and whether it had to do with worried fans who preferred to do without for fear of an attack.
The superstar himself is taking a break after London. The Eras tour does not resume until November: with six concerts in the Canadian city of Toronto. In December, three more shows are planned in Vancouver on the Canadian west coast.
