With at least one person confirmed dead after a wave of riots in London, the masses took to Twitter Tuesday morning to say a prayer for the United Kingdom and its capital as the disturbances continue. In the wake of the death of a 26-year-old man Monday and a call for 16,000 more police officers in the street, Twitter is spreading well wishes for the riot-torn country by using the worldwide hashtag #prayforlondon.
So far the hashtag has been used more than 300,000 times in the last 24 hours, according to statistics from Topsy, a Twitter search engine.
“Every life lost weighs heavily on the worlds soul & conscience,” tweeted @endracism4ever. “My heart goes out 2 the families & friends of the innocent.”
“Pray for all the souls in need,” tweeted @wowkristenstew. ”Remember: Every prayer has an answer. Keep praying. Keep them safe.”
This morning the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, issued a statement about the violence.
“The events of the past few days in London are appalling—but not wholly unexpected,” Chartres said. “The situation is unpredictable and it is important that we keep in touch and support one another with prayer and practical assistance.”
According to reports, the riots began Thursday in Tottenham following the death of 29-year-old Mark Duggan, a father of four. The details surrounding Duggan’s death remain unknown but according to his fiancée, Semone Wilson, her husband-to-be was known to the police. At the time of his death Duggan was under investigation for a gun crime, The Guardian reported.
Photo via @billykenber