The recent attempted terrorist attacks in Great Britain didn’t faze two Ortonville residents who were vacationing in England at the time, nor, they say, did it disrupt life for native Brits, who take such events in stride.
‘That’s the British stiff upper lip,? said Fiona Dibble, 42, a British citizen who moved to the U.S. two years ago with her husband, Tim Dibble, an American citizen and pastor of the Ortonville United Methodist Church. ‘We don’t get flapped by these things.?
The Dibbles, along with daughter Rebekah, arrived at Gatwick Airport in London June 19 for a 2-week vacation to visit family, including son Adam, a British citizen, in the town of Deal, just up the coast from Dover, and attend a wedding. They also spent time in Didcot, where Dibble had been a pastor and returned to give a sermon. Didcot is a town near Oxford and about an hour west of London.
The Dibbles followed the news as reports came in of two car bombs left to blow up in London on June 29 and which police defused; and on June 30, the report of a Jeep Cherokee that crashed into the terminal entrance at Glasgow Airport in Scotland. Eight people are in custody in the failed attacks, according to news reports.
‘I was glad they caught them,? said Fiona. ‘But we didn’t even discuss it. In my lifetime, there’s never been a time we haven’t been under threat of terrorism. Americans aren’t used to it. The shock to them is it could happen here. In Europe, it’s something we’ve come to live with.?
She recalls that when she was in high school, students were evacuated a few times after bomb threats. She also remembers hearing the explosion in the 80s when the Royal Marine School of Music in Deal was bombed.
Tim says Britons have been dealing with terrorism for decades, with the Irish Republican Army and northern Ireland problems.
The couple noticed increased security at the airport when they were leaving July 5. They couldn’t drive up to the terminal, where there are now cement barriers. Each individual was searched, as was all luggage, and passengers were allowed only one carry-on bag. They observed security personnel walking around with automatic weapons and full riot gear, definitely far from the norm in England, where, Tim says, the average police officer doesn’t carry a gun at all.
However, he noticed no one complaining. The attitude instead, he says, is that the government will do whatever is necessary to keep citizens safe.
‘If that means longer lines, so be it,? says Tim. ‘No one was saying this is a horrible inconvenience. It isn’t going to stop them from flying or traveling. Otherwise, for the last 30-40 years, no one would go anywhere.?
Tim was also encouraged when he saw a family of Middle Eastern descent that were not paid any special attention and were treated the same as everyone else. The family also seemed at ease, he said.
?(Americans) get so worked up about incidents of terrorism, but Brits wonder why we didn’t get so worked up before (Sept. 11),? Tim said. ‘The question remains how much of our liberties are we willing to compromise when it comes to maintaining our safety. The Brit attitude is, ‘we do what’s necessary.? I think because this is a newer issue for us (at home) it hasn’t systematically played out. Are we doing enough or too much? Are we being paranoid or looking out for the public good??
Fiona says they have talked more about the attacks since they’ve been back in the U.S. than they did when they were in England, where everyone has moved on.
‘We’re not flippant, but there is no point in getting emotional about it,? she said. ‘Everyone does what they need to do.?