A fan carrying balloons from the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena. Photo: Oli Scarff/Agence France-Presse. Getty Images.
Girls were attacked Monday night.
When a suicide bomber decided to target Ariana Grande’s concert at the Manchester Arena on Monday night, girls were his target. Concerts, sporting events, and other large gatherings of people are prime targets for terrorists: maximum carnage for minimal effort. But Ariana Grande’s fans are primarily girls and young women. Not soldiers, not politicians. Not bankers. Not fundamentalists. Not extremists. Just girls, and all the complicated things that girls are.
Girls were killed Monday night.
We can argue the effectiveness of his target, or not. We can argue the intention of his target, or not. We can argue his motives. But what we can’t argue is the outcome. 120 people have been injured, 59 of them hospitalized. 22 people have died, including an 8 year old girl and two teenage girls.
Girls were targeted Monday night.
But girls also responded to the attacks. The entire city of Manchester opened up their hearts after the bombing. Cab drivers offered free taxi services. Residents went out with blankets for the victims. Many even offered up their homes for the night, or helped guide visitors through the city. Blood donations soared. The city became a community.
Girls were heroes Monday night.
Christian Adams / Evening Standard
-Katie Weidmann
Social Media Manager
Girl Museum Inc.