Silence in tribute

Last Modified: 14 Jul 2005
By: Krishnan Guru-Murthy

From London to New York, from Bali to Bucharest, from Spain to Iraq - people across the world fell silent at noon today - in memory of those killed and injured in last week's bomb attacks.

In London there were remarkable scenes - traffic came to a standstill and thousands of people poured onto the streets to stand side by side in rememberance, in solidarity, and in defiance.

They were joined by the Prime Minister, the Queen, the Mayor of London, as well as the families and friends of those who died. Tonight in London's Trafalgar Square thousands more have gathered for a mass vigil - our Arts Correspondent Nicholas Glass has more.

>Read the transcript of his report

Silence acrosss Britian and across many parts of the world, in remembrance of the 53 who died in the London bombings.

>Watch Nicholas Glass' report

Trafalgar Square was packed for tonight's vigil organised by the Greater London Authority and the TUC.

Ken Livingstone has already made several emotional speeches about the terror attacks - and tonight he was reduced to tears.

It's been a tradition here since the Great War, to remember the dead , by a few minutes of silence. It happened after September 11th. It happened after last year's Madrid bombings, and after the Asian Tsunami at the beginning of the year.

But this time was somehow different. The terrible events of last Thursday had happened here. This silence was to be more poignant, more closely observed. More people wanted to be part of it. In the City of London, they came out of their offices...spilled out on the street, quietly and thoughtfully.

On the concourse of Liverpool Street Station - so close to one of the lethal explosions - they slowly came to a stop at mid-day. And the great bustle of Oxford Street was stilled.

A lot has been said and written about the events of last Thursday. But one man's words today had a special power and simplicity. He was driving the ill-fated Number 30 bus.

He wrote the statement himself.

Sof Up:. A week ago .. Sof Out:... ( applause) Super: George Psaradakis, Bus Driver

All around the country, they stood in silence - in Leeds and Luton - both a focus for the ongoing police investigation. Charles and Camilla stopped in a village during their summer tour of Wales. The silence was observed internationally, by British troops in Basra. And in most European capitals. Britain, with its Presidency of the European Union, had asked for it.

President Chirac , stood outside the Elysee Palace. He said afterwards that ' solidarity was the only possible concrete response to this terrible attack '.

For two minutes at the Open Golf at St.Andrews, they stopped playing golf.

Tiger Woods happened to be in London last Thursday. She was safely in her hotel room. But her son knows she could easily have been in danger.

Tonight's vigil in Trafalgar Square is continuing.