More than 30 people attended a candle-lit vigil on campus this afternoon to pay their respects to the victims of a terrorist attack at a concert in Manchester.
Twenty-two people were killed, including several children, and another 59 injured after a bomb exploded in the foyer of Manchester Arena as people were leaving an Ariana Grande concert.
Footage circulating on social media shows concertgoers screaming and running for the exits of the arena in panic following a huge blast heard in the auditorium.
Duncan Mitchie, one of the organisers of the vigil in Library Square, said: “What’s happened [in Manchester] is a really horrible and grotesque act. It is an act of bigotry, of hatred and of fear.
“It’s really important that we come together and show each other love so we don’t fall to the same alienation that this horrible attacker has fallen to.”
The Government has raised the terror threat level to critical, meaning that an attack may be imminent.
In a speech earlier today, Prime Minister Theresa May said: “All acts of terrorism are cowardly acts on innocent people but this attack stands out for its appalling, sickening cowardice. Deliberately targeting innocent defenceless children and young people who should have been enjoying one of the most memorable nights of their lives.”
An emergency plan, known as Operation Temperer, has also been triggered, with military personnel being deployed at key locations to assist armed police in protecting the public.
Luke McManus, one of those who attended the vigil, said: “I felt really upset about what happened and I just really wanted to pay my respects to the 22 people that were killed in such a tragic way.”
Picture: Duncan Mitchie