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'Stay strong our kid': Manchester reacts to attack

  • Published
    23 May 2017
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Bee image: "Stay strong our kid"Image source, Instagram/dickvincent
ByBBC Trending
Going in-depth on social media

In response to the suicide bombing at Manchester Arena, Mancunians and people around the world joined in an online show of unity.

Hashtags including "Pray for Manchester", "Stand Together" and "We Stand Together" were used millions of times and climbed up Twitter's list of top UK trends. "Pray for Manchester, external" alone was tweeted more than 1.8 million times by Tuesday afternoon.

Many of the messages included pictures of the scene of the attack and pleas from people looking for loved ones, but there were also messages of solidarity and defiance:

Tweet by Jess Purcell: "We have to stand together against these hateful cowardly people."Image source, Twitter/@Jessica_Simone1
Tweet by Rory Nolan: "Red or Blue, Oasis or the Smiths ... Today it doesn't matter. This is OUR CITY. Today we stand together."Image source, Twitter/@RXNolan

Manchester Police: This was a terrorist attack

Manchester attack: Fake 'missing' images

#RoomForManchester: People offer shelter to those affected by Manchester Arena blast

Manchester, which is the UK's third most popular city for tourism, external, after London and Edinburgh, has been influential in popular culture due to its vibrant music scene and globally famous football clubs. These were close to people's minds as they shared images of the city.

Both Manchester United and their Premier League neighbours Manchester City, external expressed solidarity with those who had been affected by the attack.

Manchester United players take a minute silenceImage source, Twitter/@ManUtd
Instagram quote "This is manchester, we do things differently here". Credited to Anthony H Wilson. Anthony Wilson - or Tony, as he was more commonly known - was the founder of Manchester's famous Hacienda nightclub and Factory RecordsImage source, Instagram/ms_gia_a
Image caption,

Anthony H Wilson - or Tony Wilson, as he was more commonly known - was the founder of Manchester's famous Hacienda nightclub and Factory Records

Among the most viral images were local symbols and artwork - for example, the worker bee that symbolises Manchester's vital role in the industrial revolution.

Bee on mosaic - text saying MancunianImage source, Instagram

Special report on the bombing

Subdued but strong: Manchester the morning after

What we know so far

All the latest developments can be found on the BBC's live page.

You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, external, and find us on Facebook, external. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending.

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