Roy Larner, the Millwall fan dubbed the ‘Lion of London Bridge’ after heroically tackling the terrorists during the atrocity, has allegedly had to attend counter-extremism classes.
The heroic fan suffered serious knife injuries as he tackled the jihadi extremists while screaming: “F*** you, I’m Millwall!”
But as the Sun newspaper reported earlier this week, Roy now says he has been put on the Government’s anti-radicalisation programme, Prevent, over fears he could be radicalised by anti-Islamic extremists.
“The Prevent officers have caused me more problems than anything else,” he said. “Ever since I’ve been on this course, they haven’t left me alone. But I never should have been on it in the first place.”
Concerns were apparently first sparked when footage of Roy emerged shouting abuse and spitting at a black photographer in 2017.
He later admitted racially aggravated common assault and religiously aggravated harassment and was handed a suspended jail sentence.
“I’m not a perfect person, I’ve been in trouble in the past,” he said. “I’ve been trying to get myself back to normal, it’s just wrong the way I’ve been treated.”
The Home Office refused to confirm whether Roy had been ‘offered support’ through the Government’s counter-extremism programme, which it said was voluntary.
“Prevent safeguards people who may be vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism. It is entirely up to an individual whether they accept the support offered through Prevent,” a spokesperson for the department told the paper.
“The support people receive through Prevent is rightly confidential and it would not be appropriate to comment on whether or not an individual has been offered support.”
The department said being on the programme was not a criminal sanction but a ‘safeguarding measure.’
In the past year, those ‘given support’ because of right-wing extremism concerns was nearly the same as those given support for Islamic extremism concerns, it added, while the majority left the programme with no further terror-related concerns.
“I couldn’t even get any counselling, because I haven’t got any fixed abode,” 49-year-old Roy also told the News, despite being diagnosed with anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder two years on from the attack.
The Millwall fan says he is not able to work following the injuries he sustained in the attack. “I’m still having physio with my arms, my arm will never be the same as it was before,” he said.
The London Bridge hero is currently living with friends in the borough and is working with the authorities to try and find fixed accommodation.
“The main thing is just about getting some counselling. It’s going to take time to get back to normal,” he added – saying that he is most looking forward to getting back to Millwall games.
An inquest into the deaths of the eight innocent victims of the June 2017 attack concluded last Friday.
Chief coroner Mark Lucraft QC said he was not convinced that the authorities had missed any opportunities which could have prevented the attack.
He concluded that the eight victims of the attack were unlawfully killed – and also criticised the lack of barriers on the bridge, which he said showed “weaknesses in systems for assessing the need for such measures.”
An inquest into the deaths of the three attackers is currently ongoing and is expected to last three weeks.
Roy needs a Bravery award, not fkg Extremism classes.
Not enough help for “HEROS” in this country no more.
Love ya Roy. God bless ya.
From an old friend