Roy Larner is being hailed as a hero after he fought off several armed terrorists with only his fists during Saturday's attack in London, saving dozens of lives after he single-handedly took on the three men.
Larner, a fan of the soccer team Millwall F.C., told reporters that when three people burst into the Borough Market restaurant saying "Islam, Islam, Islam," he confronted them and said "F--k you, I'm Millwall." Larner said that he stepped in to protect an older friend, and he received several cuts to his head, chest, and hands. He was initially hospitalized in critical condition, but has since been upgraded. He said it was an "instant reaction" to fight back.
From The Guardian: (Emphasis added)
Recalling the events of Saturday night, he said “They had these long knives and started shouting about Allah. Then it was, ‘Islam, Islam, Islam’.
“Like an idiot I shouted back at them. I thought, ‘I need to take the piss out of these bastards’. I took a few steps towards them and said, ‘F--k you, I’m Millwall’. So they started attacking me.”
He described how the three extremists smashed open the door of the restaurant to gain entry and he later saw them shot dead by police officers when they left the premises.
“I didn’t think of my safety at the time. I’d had four or five pints – nothing major,”he said. “I can handle myself. But I was out with an old person and it was out of order.”
Given that Millwall is notorious for its football hooligans (who at one point figured out how to make a weapon out of newspaper), Larner's story quickly went viral.
HERO: @MillwallFC fan Roy Larner fought the three London terror attackers shouting "F**k you, I’m Millwall" and saved countless lives. ?? pic.twitter.com/7B5qV8Resn
— SPORF (@Sporf) June 6, 2017
Love the news that the bloke who confronted the terrorists at London Bridge shouted 'Fuck you, I'm Millwall!' Talk about counter-terror.
— John Simpson (@JohnSimpsonNews) June 6, 2017
'Fuck you, I'm Millwall'. God LOVE that man.
— Rory Bremner (@rorybremner) June 7, 2017
"Fuck you, I'm Millwall!" nails it.
— Jonny Gould (@jonnygould) June 6, 2017
And to top it all off, apparently his friends have a rather sick sense of humor--in the hospital, they gave him a Runner's World magazine with "Learn to Run" on the cover.
Roy larners m8s have a funny sense of humour #Hero #LondonTerrorAttacks #LondonBridge pic.twitter.com/aktgnxK2Xb
— Goodfella (@Jimmycn1) June 6, 2017
There are now calls for Larner to receive an MBE for his bravery.