Fifth anniversary of 7/7 bombings marked by multi-faith declaration

LONDONERS remembered those killed and injured in the 7 July bombings yesterday as religious leaders pledged to take a stand against hate crime.

Yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks carried out by Islamic extremists on London Underground trains and a bus that left 52 innocent people dead and more than 700 injured.

No official events were planned to commemorate the anniversary - a decision that upset some of those affected by the atrocities - although wreaths were laid on behalf of Prime Minister David Cameron and London Mayor Boris Johnson at the Hyde Park memorial to the victims.

Leaders from the Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Sikh and Muslim faiths attended the launch of a Communities Preventing Hate campaign in north London and declared there was "no place in a harmonious society for factions who aim to divide and undermine".

A joint statement pledged they were committed to promoting "a new sense of collective community responsibility" that has the power "to curb all manifestations and expressions of hate crime".

Many survivors and bereaved families marked yesterday's anniversary with private gatherings at the Hyde Park memorial and the sites of the four blasts.