Westminster mourns victims one year on... as Amber Rudd targets terror recruiters

Amber Rudd today pledged a new drive against extremist recruiters as she marked the anniversary of last year’s Westminster attack by vowing that Britain will “not be defeated” by terrorism.

The Home Secretary said action would be taken against both Islamist and far-Right radicalisers seeking to spread hatred and violence.

One aim will be to counter attempts by Islamic State to “foster a grievance narrative” by making Muslims in Britain feel under attack. There will also be renewed efforts to stop “racists” exploiting Islamist murders to justify retaliatory “acts of cruelty and hatred”.

Victims’ families and friends, politicians and police were among those who marked the anniversary by commemorating people killed or injured at Westminster and the terror atrocities which followed.

Five people died when Khalid Masood drove into pedestrians crossing Westminster Bridge then ran through the gates of Parliament to fatally stab Pc Keith Palmer.

In the following months, 22 people were killed in the Manchester arena suicide bombing, eight died in the London Bridge attack, and a man was killed when Darren Osborne rammed a van into a crowd at Finsbury Park mosque. There was also a botched attempt to bomb a Tube train at Parsons Green, which injured 30 people.

Today Theresa May, Ms Rudd and the Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally, attended a service at St Mary Undercroft chapel in Parliament. The Bishop praised the capital’s “resilience and hope” and said her “heart goes out to those who lost loved ones”.

The Prime Minister laid a wreath of white lilies and roses at Parliament Square, accompanied by a signed note reading: “In memory of those who were lost and in defiance of those who would seek to silence our democracy.”

Ms Rudd expressed sympathy for victims and praised those who sought to help them. In an article for the Standard she warned that further action was needed to stop radicalisers from inspiring more attacks. “Islamists and far-Right terrorists share one thing in common – they are united through their adherence to hate,” she said.

“We need to respond by stamping out those recruiters in the first place.” Ms Rudd said a new “victims of terrorism unit” had been set up, and the country could not be “complacent” despite the success of police and intelligence agencies in foiling 10 Islamist and four far-Right plots over the past year.

The Bishop of London said she had met people from “across the capital’s communities” and been “struck by what brings them together and their reslience and hope”.

We should be proud of how we stood united but we cannot be complacent

Amber Rudd

Today I will be remembering and honouring those affected in the Westminster attack with my colleagues in the very place that the terrorists tried to destroy — our Parliament. I will be remembering the bravery of our emergency services, including Pc Keith Palmer who made the ultimate sacrifice. And I will be thinking of those left behind whose lives have been forever changed.

When our values come under attack that is the time when we must commit more than ever to that which unites us. We are proud to live in a decent, open and respectful society. Terrorists want to attack our way of life and cause maximum disruption in society. They thrive over the divisions their actions cause and hope that we respond with panic. Islamists and far-Right terrorists have one thing in common — they are united through their adherence to hate. Daesh want nothing more than for all British Muslims to feel under attack in this country too. This only helps to feed a grievance narrative that is deployed by predatory recruiters. That is why it is important to tackle all forms of terrorism, whether Islamist or far-Right.

We need to respond by stamping out those recruiters, whether it is an Islamist terrorist disseminating material that inspires and instructs how to carry out an attack, or a racist who uses Westminster to provide justification for further acts of cruelty and hatred.

We cannot only deal with those who have been already been drawn into terrorist activity. We need to intervene earlier and stop people being radicalised in the first place.

We cannot be complacent. Westminster was the first of five attacks in this country last year, including three more in our capital at London Bridge, Finsbury Park and Parsons Green. But we must recognise the professionalism of those who are protecting us and the 10 Islamist terrorist plots and four far-Right terrorist plots that have been thwarted since March last year.

As I make my way to Westminster today I will see Londoners and tourists enjoying the sights and freedom this great city has to offer. And I will remember how we all came together to stand united against the terrorists. This is something to be proud of. We will not be defeated.

It proved Londoners had “more in common than divides us”, she added. “Any anniversary of such a terrible event will inevitably bring back difficult memories. My heart goes out to those who lost loved ones and those who were injured. We share in their suffering as we remember them.

“After the attack, I was in touch with staff from St Thomas’ Hospital. It was from there that staff rushed to help the casualties, and our ongoing gratitude goes out to the response of all of London’s emergency and health services.”

In Parliament, MPs held a minute’s silence. Commons leader Andrea Leadsom said: “We unite together, in their memory, to face down these despicable and cowardly acts.”

Floral tributes were left outside Parliament and on the bridge. Stopping to look at them, Kay, an intensive care nurse at St Thomas’ who had worked the night shift after the attack, said: “That day when we were coming into work we didn’t know what it was going to be like, but there was a great feeling on the unit of everybody coming together and keeping London safe.”

One bouquet contained a message to victims: “You, your families and your friends are in our thoughts.” Another ended: “May God bless you always.”