{"id":265184,"date":"2017-06-02T10:30:55","date_gmt":"2017-06-02T14:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/issues\/an-ode-to-manchester\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T21:38:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T01:38:12","slug":"an-ode-to-manchester","status":"publish","type":"issues","link":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/","title":{"rendered":"An ode to Manchester"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the eve of the tribute concert for the victims of Manchester\u2019s bombing, politicians and policy-makers can draw lessons from the response of this great city to the horrendous events that occurred two weeks ago. But this article is less analysis than a cri de coeur<\/em> for a hometown that has once again risen to the challenge it faces and shown how we should all respond to security concerns.<\/p>\n

Manchester is special. Everyone from Manchester knows it. Whether you\u2019ve lived there your whole life or arrived two weeks ago, Manchester is your home. From the outside, it\u2019s a second city overshadowed by the fame and history of London. From the inside, there\u2019s a fierce pride defined by what we are, not what we are not. We sit in nobody\u2019s shadow. We are not a faint echo or the weaker twin. We know our identity and it beats inside the heart of every Mancunian.<\/p>\n

Manchester has always been subversive. We brook no tradition because that\u2019s how we create and grow. We bend the arc of social justice; we have done so for hundreds of years. Justice and truth were burnt into the metal our city produced. We are a city of creation and birth. We bring new things to life. Whether in music, health, education, sports or cotton, we are the seat of radical invention.<\/p>\n

Where Manchester blazes a path, there follows the world.<\/p>\n

We birthed the National Health Service \u2014 I was born in its very first hospital. We led the suffragette movement for women\u2019s emancipation; we are the heart of trade unions and the Guardian<\/em> newspaper. From Manchester sprang the Industrial Revolution, but also the movement to abolish slavery. We invented the computer and split the atom. We gave the world Oasis and Joy Division, the Ha\u00e7ienda and acid house.<\/p>\n

We gave the world a home. For decades, waves of immigrants arrived in our city, and our city stretched and grew to embrace them. From Jewish people in the 1930s, to Caribbean families in the 1950s, to Indians in the 1960s, to Pakistanis in the 1970s, to Syrians today: the hallmark of Manchester is home.<\/p>\n

We did multiculturalism before it was fashionable. We did it without showiness or strife. We are home to a mile of curry restaurants, a China Town, one of the oldest gay villages in Europe. We are the most linguistically diverse city in Europe. Our kids use Punjabi slang without even realizing it. Not only is curry our national dish, we did fusion cuisine before the New York Times<\/em> decided it was cool. Don\u2019t underestimate the greatness of a chip naan (fries inside a naan bread, with raita, mango chutney and ketchup: snack food of champions) until you\u2019ve tried it.<\/p>\n

We see injustice and we run toward it. We never back down from a fight. When you come for Manchester, you\u2019d better not miss.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We are at our best when under threat. Anyone in Britain will tell you a Manc can be recognized instantly, by a spirit, a passion, a contrarian streak that won\u2019t be tamed. We are fiery and stubborn and will have your back whenever you need it. We see injustice and we run toward it. We never back down from a fight. When you come for Manchester, you\u2019d better not miss.<\/p>\n

The IRA came for us once, with the biggest bomb the UK has seen since the Second World War. It levelled city blocks and a mall. Outsiders are often surprised by the chirpiness with which Mancunians speak about the bombing (nobody was killed, although there were many injuries) \u2014 but the IRA did us a favour. The bombing actually catalyzed the regeneration of the city centre. The mall was an eyesore. It looked like a 1970s public washroom, all pistachio tile and wet-dog smell. We went back to basics and redesigned our city from scratch. It\u2019s now an incredible fusion of a Roman amphitheatre, an 1850s corn exchange and gleaming steel and glass: a perfect encapsulation of this old, modern, defiant city.<\/p>\n

Since May 22, the world has seen this defiance \u2014 the contrarian instinct that says not only will we not cower, we will go out there and be more Manchester, more human, more generous and more free than you imagined possible.<\/p>\n

You can tell the soul of a city by its reaction in that very first moment \u2014 by what it is called to do at that point of sheer panic, when it reacts instinctively. That\u2019s how you know what is at a city\u2019s very core.<\/p>\n

Manchester didn\u2019t even consider locking its doors. It didn\u2019t occur to Manchester to cave to the soothing sounds of intolerance and Islamophobia.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In those moments, Manchester delivered a soul, a spirit and an outpouring of kindness, strength and compassion. Because that should be the response to terrorism. Manchester didn\u2019t even consider locking its doors. It didn\u2019t occur to Manchester to cave to the soothing sounds of intolerance and Islamophobia.<\/p>\n

Instead, Mancunians ran toward the Manchester Arena, offering food, a place to sleep and free taxi rides. Mancunians delivered food and blankets to overworked doctors and nurses at local hospitals. Manchester Muslims organized the first vigil at the Town Hall. Gurdwaras opened their doors for mass community meals. Mancs queued around the block to give blood \u2014 so many that the clinics couldn\u2019t accommodate them all.<\/p>\n

Ordinary blokes in the street delivered eloquent soliloquies on the power of diversity and the strength of our common endeavour. Skinhead men who wouldn’t look out of place at a football riot ran out of sports shops to intervene in a small racist march, running shoes still in hand. A Muslim woman in a Union Jack hijab talked about every child on our land being her child, in a Manc accent so broad, US networks subtitled it.<\/p>\n

Greater Manchester Police issued statements emphasizing our city\u2019s refusal to be defeated and talking repeatedly about the strength of Manchester\u2019s diversity. The Mayor of Greater Manchester penned an op-ed saying the Manchester bomber no more represents Muslims than the murderer of MP Jo Cox represents Christians.<\/p>\n

While numerous raids have been carried out across the city, Manchester hasn\u2019t descended into a state of fear or reactionary panic. Manchester has calmly carried on \u2014 carried on loving, helping and grieving together.<\/p>\n

There is a lesson for us all in Manchester. When the world \u201clooked for the helpers,\u201d as the famous quote says, it found Manchester.<\/p>\n

Photo:\u00a0Crowds gather for a vigil in Albert Square, Manchester, England, Tuesday May 23, 2017. (AP Photo\/Emilio Morenatti)<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Do you have something to say about the article you just read? Be part of the\u00a0<\/em>Policy Options\u00a0discussion, and send in your own submission.\u00a0Here is a\u00a0<\/em>link<\/em><\/a>\u00a0on how to do it. <\/em>|\u00a0Souhaitez-vous r\u00e9agir \u00e0 cet article ? <\/em>Joignez-vous aux d\u00e9bats d\u2019<\/em>Options politiques\u00a0et soumettez-nous votre texte en suivant ces\u00a0<\/em>directives<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On the eve of the tribute concert for the victims of Manchester\u2019s bombing, politicians and policy-makers can draw lessons from the response of this great city to the horrendous events that occurred two weeks ago. But this article is less analysis than a cri de coeur for a hometown that has once again risen to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":253623,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"2025-08-30T06:10:36Z","apple_news_api_id":"8717a045-9e78-4568-aab4-06ff7d0f6abc","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2025-08-30T06:10:36Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AhxegRZ54RWiqtAb_fQ9qvA","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false},"categories":[9360,9372],"tags":[8366,8393],"article-status":[],"irpp-category":[4217,4385],"section":[],"irpp-tag":[7187,7181],"class_list":["post-265184","issues","type-issues","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","category-recent-stories-fr","tag-united-kingdom-fr","tag-terrorism-fr","irpp-category-affaires-internationales","irpp-category-securite-nationale","irpp-tag-royaume-uni","irpp-tag-terrorisme"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nAn ode to Manchester<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"An ode to Manchester\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On the eve of the tribute concert for the victims of Manchester\u2019s bombing, politicians and policy-makers can draw lessons from the response of this great city to the horrendous events that occurred two weeks ago. But this article is less analysis than a cri de coeur for a hometown that has once again risen to […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Policy Options\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IRPP.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-08T01:38:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/dobson-photo-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@irpp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/\",\"name\":\"An ode to Manchester\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/dobson-photo-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-06-02T14:30:55+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-08T01:38:12+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/dobson-photo-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/dobson-photo-1.jpg\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":700},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"An ode to Manchester\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/\",\"name\":\"Policy Options\",\"description\":\"Institute for Research on Public Policy\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"fr-FR\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"An ode to Manchester","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/","og_locale":"fr_FR","og_type":"article","og_title":"An ode to Manchester","og_description":"On the eve of the tribute concert for the victims of Manchester\u2019s bombing, politicians and policy-makers can draw lessons from the response of this great city to the horrendous events that occurred two weeks ago. But this article is less analysis than a cri de coeur for a hometown that has once again risen to […]","og_url":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/","og_site_name":"Policy Options","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IRPP.org","article_modified_time":"2025-10-08T01:38:12+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2000,"height":700,"url":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/dobson-photo-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@irpp","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/","url":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/","name":"An ode to Manchester","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/dobson-photo-1.jpg","datePublished":"2017-06-02T14:30:55+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-08T01:38:12+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"fr-FR","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"fr-FR","@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/dobson-photo-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/dobson-photo-1.jpg","width":2000,"height":700},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2017\/06\/an-ode-to-manchester\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"An ode to Manchester"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/#website","url":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/","name":"Policy Options","description":"Institute for Research on Public Policy","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"fr-FR"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issues\/265184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issues"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/issues"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/253623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265184"},{"taxonomy":"article-status","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article-status?post=265184"},{"taxonomy":"irpp-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/irpp-category?post=265184"},{"taxonomy":"section","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/section?post=265184"},{"taxonomy":"irpp-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/irpp-tag?post=265184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}