7/7 victim’s father upset by lack of commemoration

THE father of David Foulkes, who was killed in the July 7 London bombings, has hit out at the lack of an official commemorative event during today’s fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

Former Hulme Grammar School pupil David Foulkes (22) was among the 52 people killed in the bombings on the London transport system in 2005, carried out by Islamic extremists.

Mr Foulkes, from Austerlands, was killed in a blast at the Edgware Road tube station.

The former Oldham Sixth Form College student had recently started work in media sales for the Guardian newspaper.

No official events are planned to commemorate the anniversary today, although wreaths were being be laid on behalf of Prime Minister David Cameron and London Mayor Boris Johnson at the Hyde Park memorial to the victims.

David’s father Graham Foulkes (58) said the lack of an official ceremony has upset many of those affected by the tragedy.

He said: “I am very disappointed. This was an attack against the country.

“This is the fifth anniversary, a significant one, but even the Mayor of London will not be present.

“I don’t think any of us are saying we want this to become an annual major event, but I think on the fifth anniversary the least the Prime Minister could do is attend and lay a wreath.

“This was a national attack, and it’s really disappointing. I know it’s upset many people.”

He contrasted Britain’s attitude to marking the 7/7 anniversary with the active approach taken to remembering the 9/11 attacks in the United States.

He said: “The mindset of New Yorkers and the authorities in New York is completely different to here.

“The Americans had an independent inquiry. Here we can’t even get the inquests to run within a reasonable timetable.

“Here we are at a significant anniversary and even the Mayor can’t be bothered to attend.”

In previous years Mr Foulkes and his wife have marked the anniversary by visiting their son’s grave, but this year they will travel to London and meet other families at Edgware Road.

Transport for London is organising private rooms and trained support staff for bereaved relatives and survivors near the sites of the three Tube bombings.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which is responsible for organising 7/7 memorials, said none of the families had contacted it since last year asking for an official event to mark today’s anniversary.

The inquests into the deaths of those killed in the 7/7 atrocities will finally be held at the Royal Courts of Justice in London this autumn.