10 Jul Man Hailed ‘Lion Of London Bridge’ Filmed Spitting On A Black Man And Shouting Racist Abuse

In times of adversity, it’s only natural that we want to look up to heroes, especially when people have died tragically. When things seem grim, it’s in our nature to turn to people who stand up to violence and challenge the perpetrators. The trouble is, when it comes to heroes, we can often be fairly indiscriminate.

For example, think of Glaswegian baggage-handler John Smeaton, who was hailed as a kind of living superman by the media for the part he played in subduing terrorists during an attempted strike on Glasgow airport. Yet Smeaton repeatedly insisted that he was an ordinary man doing his job, that he wasn’t a hero, and thus consciously rejected tabloid deification.

Another such man is Roy Larner, nicknamed the “Lion of London Bridge” by the press. Larner earned his stripes during the London Bridge terrorist attack, in which he retaliated against the machete-wielding jihadists by shouting “F*ck you, I’m Millwall!”, proceeding to beat them off with his bare hands. The seemingly fearless pugilist was stabbed eight times, yet ultimately survived to be hailed as a hero by the press.

Yet all is not as it seems. Far from being a selfless champion of the people, it appears that Larner’s past history is a lot more morally murky than we ever gave him credit for. This week, a video has emerged which appears to show Larner launching a racist tirade against, and spitting on, a black photographer in the Elephant and Castle area of London in February, just months before the London Bridge attack.

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