Source:CNN
I remember well the attacks London suffered on July 7, 2005. I remember the shock, the anger and the outrage. I remember the fear, the concern and the trepidation. And I also remember the courage, the persistence and the perseverance.I served as deputy convenor of the Her Majesty’s Government’s working group on tackling radicalization and extremism, set up in the wake of that grotesque attack. In the aftermath of Wednesday’s terrorist attack in Westminster, I am reminded of the lessons from 2005: both how to respond and how not to respond; how to stand united and how not to allow the vile attackers to claim any real victory.
It was only a matter of hours before some bigots decided to use this despicable attack on one of our most enduring symbols, the Palace of Westminster, for their own base political purposes.
When Jo Cox, a living, breathing symbol of British democracy, was murdered by a far-right extremist, I don’t remember seeing anyone calling for a war on white nationalism.
We saw no tweets from the likes of Donald Trump Jr., who decided to use this week’s tragedy to take a cheap shot at the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who happens to be Muslim and whose Muslim identity is in my opinion certainly not inconsequential when questioning why the President’s son decided to take that cheap shot.
Categories: Europe, Europe and Australia, UK