Brits find comic relief in images of man calmly clutching pint after London attacks

LONDON, June 4 (Reuters) – A man pictured calmly taking his pint of beer with him as other people fled past him during Saturday’s deadly attack in London has been cast as an unlikely hero who encapsulates British humour and defiance.Dressed in a red t-shirt and sauntering casually with a friend, the drinker stood out in Sky News footage of men and women running down Borough High Street, away from the London Bridge scene of the attack that left seven people dead and 48 injured.The image spread like wildfire across Twitter, with British media and social media users saying the man, whose identity is unknown, was a symbol of defiance.Sky News producer Jack Hillcox labelled the man “the hero London needs.”Twitter user @HenrySlesser said the man was a “true symbol of the British spirit.”“Why ISIS will never win. Attack just taken place but fella on right refuses to spill his pint,” @londonlass666 chimed in.READ MORE: Londoners fought back by hurling chairs and bottles at armed attackersBBC World reporter Julia MacFarlane compared the man to a character in the movie Jurassic World, who was seen casually rescuing his margaritas from a swarm of aggressive pterodactyls.Meanwhile, Londoner Andrew Brooks joked that the man was only right that he should take his beer with him, given London‘s notoriously high prices.READ MORE: Canadian dance duo describe London terror attack: ‘We were scared for our lives’Londoners take pride in, and sometimes joke about, showing fortitude during adversity.Tourist shops are awash with memorabilia emblazoned with “Keep calm and carry on”, a slogan drawn from a World War Two poster that became popular in the last 10 years.Saturday’s attack, in which three men drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing people in nearby bars and restaurants, occurred five days before a parliamentary election.WATCH: Eyewitness describes London stabbing attack

0:48 Eyewitness describes London stabbing attack

British Prime Minister Theresa May said the vote would go ahead as planned on Thursday.Residents of the northern English city Manchester also looked to their city’s culture for solace after a suicide bombing at a pop concert killed 22 people and injured 116 nearly two weeks ago, Britain’s deadliest attack in almost 12 years.