S Poddar
Taylor Swift’s forthcoming concerts at Wembley Stadium are likely to see private counter-terrorism security forces in place to ensure the safety of thousands of fans; this comes just a few days after a foiled plot of a terror attack that saw her shows in Vienna get canceled.
Now 34, the pop icon was set to play three nights at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium in front of some 170,000 fans on August 8, 9 and 10. Those plans were scrapped when a planned attack targeting her concerts was uncovered. Authorities later identified these individuals to be radicalized teenagers—one of whom was reportedly an ISIS supporter—with the intention to carry out a bombing and knife assault, and another driving into the crowd; the targets were young fans.
After this rather disturbing incident, tight security issues have been raised regarding Swift’s upcoming London gigs. It has been suggested that because the local police force is already strained due to riots throughout the region, personal counter-terrorism forces may be brought in to support the security measures in place to safeguard the thousands of concertgoers.
Wembley Stadium, one of the safest arenas in all of Europe, provides very tight security measures. Sources close to the matter have told TMZ that with all these measures in place, the danger element cannot be ruled out. One element is the huge expected volume of fans at the shows. Swift’s previous concerts on her Eras tour have seen huge crowds at the venues themselves but also outside, with fans hanging out in their thousands both when they have tickets and when they don’t.
For example, when she played Munich on July 27, thousands of fans without tickets flocked to a nearby hill just to get a glimpse of the performance—it presented a logistical headache for security teams. That, in turn, is what is being planned for her upcoming Wembley shows—not just the 90,000 people who will be inside the stadium each night but the tens of thousands who might turn up outside.
These are going to be on August 15-20 and will be the final international dates for Swift’s tour before returning home to North America. The move has been made due to the large context of improved security vigil following various high-profile attacks against live music events. The Manchester bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in 2017, killing 22 and leaving hundreds more injured, is still much in people’s minds and brings out the dangers that can be caused by bringing huge crowds together.
Ben Knott, operations director at FGH Security, a private security firm in England, explained how most private security firms work in conjunction with the police during such events. He explained, “Counter-terrorism personnel would include plainclothes and uniformed officers who would be scanning for anybody ‘acting suspiciously’. This could be someone scanning an area for cameras or police presence, in which case security would step in.”.
Wembley Stadium is said to be beefing up security ahead of Swift’s two performances, with extra measures likely to include walk-through metal detectors. It is said that Scotland Yard is actively monitoring intelligence to ensure attendee safety for the event, and the Policing Minister, Diana Johnson, confirmed that police work on thorough risk assessments for the event.
There is also the possibility of Martyn’s Law being invoked, named after one of the Manchester Arena bombing victims. It requires any place which could become a target for terrorists to have security measures in place to keep the public safe. The government is set to compel this law shortly, which again highlights how seriously these threats are now being taken.
Though fears are developing, there’s no way Swift’s Wembley concerts won’t end up being among the biggest events of this year. Assuming, of course, that all the shows sell out. At every performance, special guests will be of A-list caliber and will feature indie pop artists like Sofia Isella, Maisie Peters, Holly Humberstone, and Suki Waterhouse.
Since her early teenage years, Swift has spoken out about her fears of performing in the light of possible threats. In a 2019 piece for ELLE magazine, she said an attack at one of her concerts was “my biggest fear.” Reflecting on the Manchester Arena bombing and the 2017 Las Vegas concert shooting, Grande admitted that she was terrified to start her current tour-how could her team possibly keep millions of fans safe over the course of several months?.
With the dates of her Wembley performances inching ever nearer, organizers and fans alike hope the shows will go ahead with tightened security measures at the events so music, and the happiness it brings, can triumph over fear.
