The public’s reaction to the Harrod’s bomb has been the same as the government’s – that the fight against terrorism must go on and be won.
Margaret Thatcher
At 1.00 p.m. on December 17, 1983, a large explosion rocked the district of Knightsbridge located in the heart of London. It is an area of luxurious apartments, mews houses and exclusive shops, and where the famous Harrods department store is situated. The founder of Harrods was a man named Charles Henry Harrod and, from the day it opened in 1849, the store always prided itself on a reputation for excellence. In 1883, the store burnt to the ground at the beginning of December, but Harrod’s son, Charles Digby, not only succeeded in fulfilling all of his Christmas deliveries, but also made a new record profit for the store. A new building rose out of the ashes, and for the first time it could boast about legendary customers such as Oscar Wilde, Lilly Langtry and Ellen Terry.
The current owner of Harrods is Mohammad Al Fayed, an Egyptian-born, Swiss-based businessman who has had a tempestuous relationship with the British authorities over the years, constantly being turned down for British citizenship. He has also become famous in more recent years for his conspiracy claims against the Royal Family in regards to the death of his son Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana in a Paris car crash.
The famous shopping district of Knightsbridge was busy with Christmas shoppers and everyone was jostling in and out of the shops buying their seasonal gifts. Suddenly a huge blast ripped through the throng of people, sending out a mass of thick black smoke, rubble and shards of broken glass. A large plume of smoke rose above Harrods, coming from the Hans Crescent end of the store. The scene was one of utter devastation and people stood dazed, not quite sure what had happened.
A bomb had apparently exploded in a car in one of the side streets outside the famous department store. Many people were walking round wounded, while others lay unable to move.
Immediately after the blast there was a strange silence, but when it sank in exactly what had occurred, there were screams, shouts and crying. People who weren’t too badly hurt, stopped to help those who were more seriously injured until the emergency services arrived at the scene. The pavement was like a sea of glass, tainted red by all the blood.
People sat or lay numbly, waiting to be helped, surrounded by the distinctive olive and gold shopping bags from the Harrods store. Brightly wrapped gifts lay in the streets among the grim remnants of the explosive-laden car.
Sirens could be heard wailing their way through the busy streets of London and amid all the chaos somebody said, ‘They’ve bombed Harrods!’
Four hospitals were put on emergency alert, ready to receive the people who could not be treated at the scene. The toll at the end of the day was six people dead, including three policemen and one American, and 90 injured.
Inside Harrods the reaction was shocked horror as some of the people witnessed the force of the explosion as several windows were blown in. A mother clutched her two children in complete terror at the top of the stairs, too scared to move. The employees, who tried their best to remain calm, started to lead people out by a side entrance. It wasn’t until they got outside that they realized the full gravity of the situation.
These were the days before mobile phones, and it was hard for people to get word to their families that they were unhurt in the explosion. A large queue formed outside a phone box in the vicinity.
Lying in the gutter was a severely injured policeman and his dog, the man pleading for help. In the middle of the road, was another policeman who was in an even worse state, he was severely traumatized and unable to speak or move. Lying beside him was his walkie-talkie, which he was probably using to warn of a suspicious looking car, just before it exploded. The scene was horrific and for the rest of the day many people were wandering around London stunned and in tears.
The police were given a coded warning at 12.45 p.m., saying that there was a bomb in a car outside the Harrods store in Knightsbridge. As officers cordoned off the area and began a detailed search to make sure there were no more hidden explosives, a second warning call was made. This call warned of a bomb in the heart of the shopping district of London, Oxford Street.
Police hurriedly tried to clear the crowded area, but the warning of a bomb which was claimed to be outside the C&A store, turned out to be a false alarm.
The following day the Irish Republican Army (IRA) claimed responsibility for the explosion, saying that it was part of a pre-Christmas bombing campaign they had planned for London. The police moved hundreds of extra police, including plain clothes officers and mobile bomb squads, into the city, in an effort to protect the public from any further attacks.
Harrods reopened for business three days later under tight security, saying the store would not be defeated by acts of terrorism. The police introduced new anti-terrorist measures to prevent a repetition of the car bomb. Although many Londoners who had been interviewed by the media claimed they would not be put off by Irish terrorists, Christmas shopping the following week got off to a slow start.
On December 20, detectives made a series of early raids and arrested four suspected sympathizers of the IRA, but no official charges were ever made.
Terrorism is one of the greatest scourges that the world faces today, especially when the target is innocent people – for example, people simply doing their Christmas shopping. The terrorist activities of the IRA have been going on for more than two decades and have been an evil inspiration to terrorists worldwide. The success of bombs, such as the one at Harrods, only heightens our awareness of their presence, which is exactly what they want.
There are currently more than 60 paramilitary fighters who are sought in connection with terrorist-related crimes that took place before 1998. These people could benefit from a new Northern Ireland Offences Bill, which is currently being discussed in the House of Commons. Under this new legislation, many terrorist suspects could be released and would be free to return to Northern Ireland.