Countering attempts to exploit the Westminster attack for an anti-immigrant,divisive agenda will win political and public will, not just tough factsTheresa May has had a torrid political March on several fronts, or but she has a valuable gift for quiet and a knack of catching the public mood at moments like the aftermath of the attack on Wednesday afternoon in central London. In a statement to MPs today,Mrs May successfully combined dignity with emotion as she paid tribute to the police officer PC Keith Palmer, who was killed protecting parliament by the man later named as Khalid Masood. She maintained a proportionate and reasoned tone as she discussed the details of the emergency and the quick and courageous response to it. Masood’s hired 4x4, and in its murderous career across Westminster Bridge,killed a tourist and a teacher and one other who has not yet been named. It injured up to 40 others.
Every MP who spoke in the Commons caught the prime minister’s mood. All were at pains to stress the need for solidarity. All took care to distinguish between the overwhelming majority of British Muslims and the handful of individuals inspired by Islamic State and similar groups who have been responsible for most of the recent terror attacks and plots in Europe (but not all: Jo Cox’s murderer was a white supremacist).
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Source: theguardian.com