The Westminster atrocity

What happened in Westminster this week was an outrage and a tragedy. We unreservedly condemn the actions of the perpetrator and express condolences and complete solidarity with the friends, partners and families of the victims. We also unreservedly condemn anyone who tries to exploit this tragedy for any purpose or who tries to imply any notion of collective guilt. Last week when I addressed the anti-racism demonstration in Parliament Square, I spoke of the need for by-standers to be up-standers. This week we witnessed the actions of brave up-standers who were a credit to our great and diverse city. And I emphasise diverse in recognition that the victims were members of several different nationalities. As we come together to display our mutual support without distinction of background or ethnicity or beliefs, we affirm that our enemies are hatred, fear, mistrust, suspicion, prejudice, malice and revenge. Events such as these confirm the Jewish Socialists’ Group in its desire to uphold values of human empathy, solidarity and hope, and make us redouble our efforts to build a world sooner rather than later, where such tragedies, here or elsewhere, become a thing of the past.