On the train, Londoners can hear security announcements urging them to report any suspicious activity they see and be alert at all times. MI5, the United Kingdom’s counter-intelligence and security service, has classified the country’s current threat level for international terrorism as “severe,” meaning the probability of an attack occurring is very high and citizens living in the country should be alert at all times.

Although a lot of international terrorism has been greatly associated with Muslim extremists, most U.K. terrorist activities are carried out by residents of the U.K., according to the MI5 website.

In response to the threat of terrorism, all three of the country’s security agencies have been allocated budget increases. For this reason, countering and investigating into international terrorism has become a top priority. According to the MI5, about 81 percent of its resources have gone into counter-terrorism measures.

Even though terrorism poses a threat to London, I have not personally felt vulnerable. After minor events take place, the fear is short-lived and people are able to bounce back and resume their lives.

Toks Omodunbi, the operations manager at Faraday House, Syracuse University’s London center, approves of the measures the country has put to fight terrorism and praised the system as a whole.

“I think it’s effective because since that time ‘til now, if you look at countries like France and Germany, there has been terrorism there,” Omodunbi said. “Compared to our country, we’ve been pretty quiet since then. So I think the measures work.”

Omodunbi said terrorism is usually meant to do one thing: create fear.

“Fifty to 60 percent of people are not conscious of terrorism — they just go about their daily lives. It is when something happens that makes them aware. But after a couple of days, you put it at the back of your mind and get on with your lives,” he said.

Over the last few years, drills and simulations have taken place in public places like the Underground, the city’s public rapid transit system.

More recently, The Guardian reported on a terrorism drill that was carried out this past Sunday on a Thames River tourist ship, where armed security forces performed a standard response to a simulated terrorist attack.

With Brexit not so far in the distance, there have also been concerns over how vulnerable the United Kingdom’s separation from the European Union will make the country from outside threats.

When it comes to terrorism, London as a city is doing well because it has managed to find a balance between maintaining normalcy and keeping its citizens safe and alert. Although London is part of a country that is severely threatened, it is by no means vulnerable.

Saniya More is a sophomore dual major in international relations and broadcast and digital journalism. Her column appears weekly in Pulp. She can be reached at ssmore@syr.edu.

Published on March 21, 2017 at 11:52 pm