Football Fan Stabbed 8 Times Defending Others During London Attack
A devoted fan of London's Millwall F.C. let the perpetrators of Saturday night's devastating attack know where he stood on acts of terrorism in his hometown.
Roy Larner, 49, was enjoying a night out at London's Borough Market when the chaos began shortly after 10 p.m. Three men, now revealed to be Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba, had burst into the market's pub to inflict more casualties via stabbing and reportedly shouting "This is for Allah!"
“Like an idiot I shouted back at them," Larner told the Guardian Tuesday. "I took a few steps towards them and said, ‘F**k you, I’m Millwall’. So they started attacking me.”
Emboldened by moderate amounts liquid courage, Larner took on all three with only his fists and received serious stab wounds to the head, chest, and arms. He was later taken to an area hospital and taken off the critical injuries list on Sunday. He is now recovering comfortably, per a Facebook post from a friend.
“I didn’t think of my safety at the time. I’d had four or five pints – nothing major,” he said. “I can handle myself. But I was out with an old person and it was out of order.”
Mr. Larner’s selfless actions have earned him a frenzied following on social media and in the press, where he has been called “The Lion of London Bridge”, a reference to Millwall Football Club’s nickname the Lions.
Fans of the south London football club have had a tempestuous reputation with fighting and hooliganism, but lean into their intimidating reputation with the infamous chant: “No one likes us, we don’t care!” With his daring actions, Mr. Larner might have proven that wrong.