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During a university trip to London, Travis Frain’s ordinary day suddenly transformed into a harrowing ordeal. While sending a photo of Big Ben to his friends, he was caught off guard by a terrorist attack. “One of the guys in my group shouted ‘look out’ and as I looked up from my phone the terrorist’s car was in front of me,” Frain recalled. The attacker, Khalid Masood, drove into crowds on Westminster Bridge on 22 March 2017, killing four people before fatally stabbing a police officer outside Parliament. Frain, then 19, sustained multiple injuries, including a fractured leg that took two years to heal, and he acknowledges that the impact of that day remains with him. Now 28, he shared his experience as the UK prepared to observe its first national day for victims and survivors of terrorism.
The new national day, set to be marked annually on 21 August to align with the UN International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, aims to recognize all those affected by acts of terrorism. This includes victims, their families, witnesses, and emergency responders. The inaugural UK event is scheduled for London and will feature a two-minute silence and personal readings from those impacted. According to the government, this initiative mirrors similar observances in other European countries and is intended to expand across the UK in future years. Frain, who has campaigned for such recognition for nearly five years, emphasized the importance of acknowledging victims, noting that “as a society, it is right and morally correct that we should be remembering those lost to terrorism.”
Beyond memorializing those affected, the national day has been designed to foster vigilance and community support. Frain pointed out that victims are “often not targeted as individuals but as representatives of something far greater—the nation, the nation’s values; the values we’re all meant to hold I’m sure.” He stressed the shared responsibility in preventing future attacks, stating that “we all have a role to play.” Increasing concerns over terrorism persist in the UK, with the government’s terror threat level raised to “severe,” indicating a highly likely attack. Additionally, nearly 10,000 individuals were referred to Prevent, the UK’s anti-terrorism program, in the year leading up to September 2025.
Despite these steps, survivors continue to call for enhanced support. The impetus for establishing the national day came from a Home Office review that identified gaps in assistance for victims. However, groups such as Survivors Against Terror (SAT) highlight that while psychological aid has improved, the state’s compensation system remains inadequate. Brendan Cox, co-founder of SAT and whose wife Jo Cox was murdered in 2016, welcomed the national day but called for greater accountability, criticizing the compensation process as dehumanizing. Cox explained that survivors can only claim for the first three injuries in an attack, despite often suffering numerous wounds. Lisa Ghiggini, a survivor of the 2019 Fishmonger’s Hall attack, described ongoing struggles, noting some lack resources for basic home adaptations despite severe mobility challenges. The Ministry of Justice, which administers the compensation scheme, reported paying out £180 million last year for various violent crimes, including terrorism
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