Bombing Victim Slams Disney For Their “Lack of Respect”

Disney stands by its decision to recreate scenes of London’s 7/7 bombings, even after irate victims have spoken out in protest. The company is featuring the tragedy’s aftermath in its new Disney+ series, “Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes.”

Vigil following the 7/7 bombings in London Credit: @paulbrockphotography, Flickr

7/7 London Bombings

On July 7, 2005, four suicide bombers detonated explosions in four separate London sites, three in London underground train cars and one on a double-decker bus. The attacks resulted in 52 fatalities and 700 injured. The attacks are now known as the 7/7 London Bombings or 7/7 attacks.

The first three attacks took place just before 8:50 a.m. BST, with bombs detonated on a westbound Circle Line train at Edgware Road, an eastbound Circle Line train between Liverpool Street and Aldgate, and the Piccadilly Line between King’s Cross and Russell Square. The Edgware Road attack resulted in six fatalities, and the Aldgate attack killed seven. The Russell Square attack was the most fatal, resulting in 26 deaths.

Credit: @dbking, Flickr

The final attack took place on a double-decker bus, where the bomber detonated his device on a bus in Tavistock Square. The Tavistock Square attack took place just before 9:50 a.m. BST and killed 13 people. The explosion stopped the bus in front of the headquarters of the British Medical Association. Due to a medical conference being held, numerous medical professionals were able to provide lifesaving assistance in a timely manner following the attack.

“Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes” on Disney+

On October 3, 2023, Disney+ announced that filming was underway for a new limited drama series titled “Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes” in a London press release. The series is written and executive produced by Jeff Pope, directed by Paul Andrew Williams, and produced by Kwadjo Dajan and Etta Pictures.

The Disney+ series doesn’t actually focus on the 7/7 London Bombings but on the story of Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent man who was killed after being mistaken as a suspect. Set immediately after the 2005 attacks, the decision was made to include scenes showing the tragedies. Most notably, it includes a scene recreating the bus after the Tavistock Square attack.

Andy Vermaut shares: Disney stands by 7/7 bombing aftermath scenes in new drama: A replica of a London bus with its roof torn off was used by Disney in filming for a new drama. https://t.co/V5zOd8ATgy Thank you pic.twitter.com/7CKzb0m5bW

— Andy Vermaut (@AndyVermaut) November 7, 2023

Credit: @AndyVermaut, Twitter

Though family and relatives of de Menezes have been included as consultants for the series, it appears that survivors of the 7/7 London Bombings were never consulted or included in the research for the Disney+ series. One survivor, Daniel Biddle, has actively spoken out against Disney to sources including The Sun, about finding the scenes of the 7/7 aftermath included in the series to be “absolutely shameful.”

Daniel Biddle was one of the worst injured survivors from the 7/7 attacks. Biddle is a survivor of the Edgware Road attack; he was standing close to the bomber and, as a result, lost both legs, his left eye, and his spleen to the incident.

Biddle also shared with The Sun, “It’s pretty sick not to consult those who were injured or the loved ones of those who lost their lives. This is a lack of respect by Disney.”