The best answer to those who
seek to undermine our way of life with acts of terror is to simply carry
on. The appalling murders that took
place in Westminster last Wednesday were a reminder that every country can be
affected by acts of violence: the attack in London was similar to the
devastating attacks in Nice last year.
However, the very next day, Parliament was back to business and the streets
of London were once again packed with tourists who have come to visit the
greatest city on earth.
Our thoughts are with all
those who have lost loved ones. Keith
Palmer, the Police Officer who lost his life trying to stop the attacker,
showed extraordinary bravery. As details
emerged of the other victims murdered on Westminster Bridge, it was clear that
many families are suffering tragic bereavement this week. By the end of last
week, the area was adorned with flowers from those who had come to pay their
respects and books of condolence had been opened throughout Westminster.
One of the warped objectives
of those who commit crimes like this is to try to sow division in our society
and to turn one faith against another.
It is important that we do not allow them to succeed. The murders last week were committed by a sad
and deranged individual acting alone. It
was striking how quickly Muslim communities condemned the acts and made clear
it was not in their name.
Our security services work
around the clock to monitor extremism and to try to keep us safe and they have
successfully foiled dozens of planned attacks in recent years. Sadly, everyone suspected that it would only
be a matter of time before one got through.
Managing murders by lone extremists poses a challenge for our security
forces because such events are not even coordinated by an organisation. In fact, the term "terrorist
attack" probably overstates what we are dealing with because there is no
organised movement. Rather, we are
dealing with lone murderers who have been radicalised which is no less a
challenge.
We can but hope that, over
time, this phenomena of radical extremism will recede and disappear. But in the meantime, we must remain vigilant,
support the work of our security services and carry on with our lives.