#ManchesterBlast: In terror's wake, strangers extend a hand

This image shows people running through Manchester Victoria station after an explosion at Manchester Arena. Picture: Zach Bruce/PA via AP

This image shows people running through Manchester Victoria station after an explosion at Manchester Arena. Picture: Zach Bruce/PA via AP

Published May 23, 2017

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Manchester – They came offering rooms and rides, food and drink.

They came by Twitter, harnessing social media – so often a site of anonymous derision – as a tool of collective uplift. The hashtag #RoomForManchester announced that people in the latest British city to be struck by terrorism were prepared to lend a hand to strangers.

In the hours after a bomb detonated at an Ariana Grande concert, spreading chaos as large areas around the arena were cordoned off, residents took to Twitter to offer aid to those affected by the deadly blast. The attack, which left at least 22 people dead and dozens more injured, was the deadliest in Britain since 2005 and is being investigated as an act of terrorism.

The messages, some of which gained thousands of retweets, offered a small glimmer of hope in an otherwise ghastly night of carnage, confusion and loss. And as fear and uncertainty yet again gripped Western Europe, the response from those closest to the violence suggested an unwillingness to be cowed by such strikes.

Jack Slater tweeted: When terrorism makes you question humanity, look to the heroes. In Manchester thousands are rushing to aid those in need. #RoomForManchester

"I have a sofa, floor, blankets and tea, 5 minutes from Arena for anyone in need," one user offered. "If you need a place to crash I live around the corner from Manchester Arena," another wrote.

If you need a bed, a cup of tea, a charged phone etc. - I'm 15 mins from Manchester Arena. DM me, they're open! #RoomForManchester

— Rachel Ellis (@rachelkellis) May 22, 2017

Anyone needing a lift/place to stay from the Manchester Arena, tweet #roomformanchester Retweet and get this trending to help. – Cal (@Panayisalad) May 22, 2017

Adding to the chorus was a local Holiday Inn's guest service manager, who wrote that the hotel had spare rooms for those needing a place to stay. Several hotels in Manchester sheltered children – who made up a large share of concert-goers – as frantic parents sought to locate them. And taxis in the city's center offered free rides through the night.

Anyone needing a place to stay we have rooms at the Holiday Inn Manchester West. Contact to hotel on 0161 7430080 #roomformanchester

— Danny McMenemy (@Dan_McMenemy) May 22, 2017

So proud to be able to call these fellas my friends #Blackcabs #Manchester – Sean Kenny (@spkenny67) May 22, 2017

Speaking early on Tuesday morning, the mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham, saluted city residents for the generosity they displayed in reacting to the attack.

"Even in the minutes after the attack, they opened their doors to strangers and drove them away from danger," Burnham said at a news conference. "They gave the best possible immediate response to those who seek to divide us and it will be that spirit of Manchester that will prevail and hold us together."

"The spirit of #Manchester will hold us together," says mayor Andy Burnham. And with acts of kindness the people of the city have shown how pic.twitter.com/R4KHsAdC8m

— BBC News England (@BBCEngland) May 23, 2017

A Manchester City councillor, Bev Craig, wrote on Twitter that the messages showcased "the manchester I love."

Mancunians opening their homes to those stranded, and businesses offering free rides. This is the manchester I love.

BREAKING NEWS: manchester taxis and cabs offering free rides home for people around #manchester Arena. One love.

— Mohammed Shafiq (@mshafiquk) May 22, 2017

– Bev Craig (@bevcraig) May 22, 2017

The Washington Post

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