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HarperCollins chief executive Charlie Redmayne has condemned the terrorist attack near London Bridge next to its headquarters, in which seven people were killed and 48 were injured.
Publishers with offices near London Bridge have reported some staff working from home today to avoid disruption in the area, but no casualties have been reported from within the trade. Sue Armstrong, an agent at Conville & Walsh who was caught up in the attack, said she was "shocked" but returned to work as usual today vowing to "carry on as normal".
Following Saturday night’s terror atrocity, in which a white van was driven into pedestrians on the street before three men began to stab people with large knives, Redmayne said: “This was a dreadful attack and our thoughts are with the people affected. This area is our home and we are grateful to the security services for their swift action in defending it, and their professionalism over the rest of the weekend.”
Police cordons have meant many HC staff are forced to work from home this morning.
“Areas around London Bridge are beginning to reopen this morning with some police cordons coming down,” Redmayne said. “As a result the HarperCollins offices are open to those staff who need to come into work today. However, we expect that many staff will choose to work from home. Normal working practices will resume on Tuesday.”
The offices of The Publishers Association (PA) are also closed today because they are inside the police cordon on Southwark Street.
Susie Winter, director of policy and communications at the PA, said staff were working from home instead. “We are all safe and all staff are accounted for,” she told The Bookseller. “The attack took place somewhere we travel through every day, where we buy our lunch and drink after work – it is very shocking for it to have happened so close.”
Michael Bhasker, co-founder of digital publisher Canelo, which is also based in London Bridge, said the incident was “absolutely terrible and heartbreaking” but added that all staff were safe. He too is determined to go to work as normal.
“For my part I will absolutely be in the office today and all week,” he said.
Meanwhile Armstrong, an agent at Conville & Walsh, has told of the moment she became caught up in the incident while eating dinner with her partner in Padella restaurant on Southwark Street.
She told The Bookseller: “I had just put a picture up on Twitter around 10.02pm, and it must have been only a second after that a man crashed through the door screaming to everyone that there was an attack and told us to lock ourselves in.
“Everyone just looked at each other and didn’t know whether to take him seriously--he could have just been drunk. But then we saw everyone racing down the high street panicking.
“We got up and ran out of the back of the restaurant into Borough Market, which we now realise was not the right direction to go in. That was when we found out there had been a number of stabbings there, so we ran in another direction, over the road to The Breakfast Club. We could tell there was a commotion going on near the Slug & Lettuce around the corner.
“At first police were telling everyone to stay inside, but then the message was to get out and run – I presume because they were concerned about a possible bomb. We were evacuated from The Breakfast Club and that is when we saw a man on the floor by a policeman, who we assumed was one of the attackers. We carried on running and saw another woman on the floor with a paramedic not moving. We kept being told to run and eventually made it across the bridge by Blackfriars and made it home.”
She continued: “When we realised the full extent of what had happened we were shocked, and felt so relieved to have made it home safely. To think they were shot dead within eight minutes but still caused so much harm is terrifying. Right now I am just feeling a bit shocked, and really relieved that we did not get hurt.
She added: “I have come into work today because you have got to try and carry on as normal.”
Metopolitan Police said they shot dead all three suspects, who were wearing fake bomb vests, within eight minutes of the first emergency call being received. A spokesperson has said they know the identities of the attackers but are not releasing them while their operation is ongoing.
A number of people have been detained after the incident following raids across Newham and Barking.
The so-called Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack.