7 Cities That Defy Terrorism
“You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something in your life.” -Sir. Winston Churchill”
I know, right? Now tell your friends!
7 Cities That Defy Terrorism
Benny Johnson
1. Sderot, Israel. Population 24,000.
Israeli civilians sitting atop a hill in the city of Sderot watch as two Palestinian rockets fly towards southern Israel, before a ceasefire November 21, 2012.
Image by Yannis Behrakis / Reuters
Sderot is located one kilometer from the Hamas controlled Gaza Strip.
Image by Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
Over the last ten years Sderot has been a front-line target for Palestinian terrorist factions. Over 4,200 rockets have been launched into the village in that time.
Source: Amir Cohen / via: ynetnews.com
The rockets are unguided and typically strike domestic, non-military targets.
Image by Amir Cohen / Reuters
Parts of the city has been evacuated multiple times by the Israeli government in times of intense attacks.
Source: Uriel Sinai / via: mfa.gov.il
11 citizens of Sderot have perished by these indiscriminate rockets.
Image by David Silverman / Getty Images
But the people of Sderot remain defiant and have found strong support in the international community.
Image by Uriel Sinai / Getty Images
The citizens of Sderot remain vibrant and children play amid the solders stationed there.
Image by Uriel Sinai / Getty Images
And they have even turned their bomb shelters into colorful works of art.
Image by Christopher Furlong / Getty Images
2. London, England. Population 8.174 million.
Image by Chris Jackson / Getty Images
Londoners are no stranger to intimidation and terror.
Throughout the London Blitz, over a million incendiaries and around 50,000 high explosive bombs were dropped on London by Nazi bombers.
Image by Getty Images
Each red dot on this map of downtown London represents a high-explosive bomb dropped between September 7th,1940 and May 21st, 1941.
Via: bombsight.org
Including one dropped right in front of the BuzzFeed London offices!
Via: bombsight.org
But even in the face of immense devastation, the citizens of London kept a "stiff upper lip."
Image by Harrison / Getty Images
Osama bin Laden's last terror plot was committed in London on the morning of July 7th, 2005.
52 civilians and four bombers were killed in the attacks, and over 700 more were injured.
Image by Dylan Martinez / Reuters
But in spite of being the target of over 100 various terror plots in the last century, London remains a vibrant cultural melting pot.
Image by Andrew Winning / Reuters
Since 1993, Mumbai has been the victim of 9 mass terror bombings.
Image by Lorenzo Tugnoli / Getty Images
The bombings, have been committed by various terror organizations and have claimed the lives of over 500 people.
Image by David Guttenfelder / AP
A massive, coordinated attack in 2008 conducted by a Pakistan-based militant organisation, killed 164 people and wounded at least 308.
Image by Sebastian D’souza / AP
But the people of Mumbai are vigilant against the terror.
Image by Rafiq Maqbool / AP
To the dismay of those terror groups, Mumbai remains one of the fastest growing population and trade markets in the world.
Source: Danish Siddiqui / via: bloomberg.com
Terror attacks have claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 in New York over the last 20 years.
Image by Paul Martinka-Pool / Getty Images
The city will never forget the losses and remains vigilant against further attacks.
Image by Henny Ray Abrams-Pool / Getty Images
But that does not stop the New York from building bigger, higher and stronger than ever.
Image by RRP, Team Macarie via Getty Images / Getty Images
New York City remains a vibrant, colorful city with a bright economic future.
Via: timessquarenyc.org
"I'm gonna make a brand new start of it, In old New York"
Image by SPI, dbox via Getty Images / Getty Images
Violence remains an every-day occurrence after 10 years of political upheaval and insurgency in Baghdad.
Image by Iraq / Reuters
The city most recently suffered a deadly attack meant to deter Iraq's free elections, which took place successfully on the 20th of April.
A suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside the cafe in the west of the city, killing 27.
Image by Iraq / Reuters
Iraqi women courageously continue to use the rights granted them under the new Constitution.
Image by Khalid Mohammed / AP
Those include equal voting and education opportunities for both women and men in Iraq.
Image by Hadi Mizban / AP
Along with the freedom to practice ones own religion.
Christians celebrate Easter Sunday in northern Baghdad.
Image by Mohammed Ameen / Reuters
And protections for artistic expression and speech.
Image by Ali Arkady / Getty Images
Iraqi pride remains high as the city shows signs of steady stabilization.
Image by Iraq / Reuters
Belfast has been at the center of the Irish Independence movement since it's establishment as the the capitol of Northern Ireland in 1921.
Image by Cathal Mcnaughton / Reuters
Between the years of 1969 to 1998, Belfast was the stage for various episodes of sectarian conflict between its Catholic (Republican) and Protestant (Loyalist) populations.
Image by Stephen Wilson/ / Getty Images
In this time period nearly 1,500 people died in coordinated terrorist attacks.
Source: AP / via: news.bbc.co.uk
And although small bouts of violence continue, Belfast as a city is currently experiencing a cultural renaissance of non-violence.
Image by Cathal Mcnaughton / Reuters
Since the decline in violence, Belfast has come roaring back economically.
Source: rainmiles.com / via: web.archive.org
The deadly bombing of Boston's beloved marathon led to incredible acts of selfless heroism and a city joining together to find those responsable.
Image by Charles Krupa, File / AP
With both suspects off the street, the city rejoiced with an outpouring of appreciation for law enforcement and generosity toward the victims families.
Image by Julio Cortez / AP
"This is our f***ing city and nobody is going to dictate our freedom. Stay strong.”
Image by Jim Rogash / Getty Images
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