If it Feels Like Terrorism

On an all too frequent basis we are confronted up and down the country by terror incidents. More often than not downplayed as non terror related events, the definition of terrorism, the definition of ‘terror related’ is in need of discussion.

It seems that regardless of the impact these non terror related events may have on the victims, some of whom die in the process, others severely injured, all involved I would venture to suggest are mentally scarred forever by the horrendous terrorising experience.

The official definition of terrorism is that the event has to be connected to a terrorist organisation, but I think that misses the point. So it is only a terrorist event if there is a political motive behind it. All other atrocities are put down as ‘Mental Health’ crimes.

While it might be legitimately argued that anyone who attacks another human being with a knife has mental health issues, that label, that excuse is being used to deflect from the act of terror itself.

Anyone attacked by someone with a knife is a victim of terror, experiences terror, is terrorised by the act. The intent or otherwise of the perpetrator is an irrelevance to the victims of their terrorist acts. If an action causes terror then it is an act of terrorism. The politics or motivation of the perpetrator is of no consequence in that moment.

Public Unrest

In the last 11 days we have seen riots in Leeds caused when a families children were taken into care. Following rioting and civil unrest in the area the children were returned to the family, thus pacifying the situation and restoring peace to the streets. That is how modern law and order functions.

We also saw rioting in Whitechapel because a Bangladeshi student was shot dead….. in Bangladesh. World events are seemingly being played out on British streets.

Next we saw a British soldier in uniform brutally attacked on the street. Lt Col Matt Teeton was viciously stabbed multiple times in front of his wife and is still in hospital fighting for his life.

Then we saw men attacking armed police officers at Manchester airport. The uproar related to this event was the police response rather than the attack on the police themselves. Almost as if the press was trying to paint a picture of police brutality ahead of the actions of the attackers. Personally, I’ve never been kicked in the head by an armed policeman, I don’t need to tell you why that has never happened.

And then yesterday, a man travelled by taxi to a childrens holiday club that was holding a Taylor Swift themed dance class for 7 to 11 year old girls. The parents of those girls had no idea when they dropped them off that 3 of them, aged 6, 7 and 9 would die and 5 or 6 more be very seriously injured. The teachers, the organisers were also severely injured trying to protect the children. What the hell is happening in this once great country of ours?

The Media Response

The press and main stream media have been quick to down play the implications of this crazed attack on innocent children. The row online has rapidly turned to the man himself and his background. The Police have announced that he was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents and moved to Southport at 6 years of age.

Surely the questions we should be asking at this stage are about the large volume of people with mental health issues causing death and destruction across the UK. I can’t begin to comprehend what would go on in someones mind that would lead them to commit such an act. It is beyond my understanding how anyone could kill innocent children at random.

Terror Attacks

We have seen too many other mental health attacks in recent years, since 2013 and the slaughter of Lee Rigby (which bears frightening similarities to the attack on Lt Col Matt Teeton), we have seen the following:

2016 – June – Jo Cox MP

2017 – March – Westminster Attack – 3 dead, almost 50 injured + the death of police officer Keith Palmer.

2017 – May – Manchester Arena Bombing – 22 dead, 139 injured

2017 – June – London Bridge / Borough Market – 8 dead, 48 injured

2017 – June – Kinsbury Park Mosque attack – 1 dead

2017 – September – Parsons Green Tube Bombing – 0 dead, 30 injured

2018 – August – Westminster Car attack – 0 dead

2018 – December – Manchester Victoria Station – 3 stabbed

2019 – March – Vincent Fuller – Attacked and stabbed several non-white victims

2019 – November – London Bridge Stabbing – 2 dead, 3 injured

2020 – January – Whitemoor Prison – Inmates stabbed a prison officer

2020 – February – Streatham Stabbing – 2 severely injured

2020 – March – Bolton – Emily Jones, 7, beheaded in a park, 1 dead.

2020 June – Reading Stabbings – 3 dead, 3 injured

2021 – October – David Amess MP stabbed to death – 1 dead

2021 – November – Liverpool Hospital Bombing – Bomb exploded in taxi killing the bomber and injuring the driver

2023 – June – Nottingham Stabbings – 3 dead, 3 injured

2023 – October – Hartlepool stabbing – 1 dead, 1 injured

2024 – July – Southport Stabbing – 3 dead, 8 injured

There are others, less publicised no doubt. From this list the perpetrators had a variety of causes, motives, many claimed mental health issues, which I would cite as a prerequisite for attacking anyone with a knife with the intent to end their life.

Mental health issues can be assumed in the vast majority of these crimes. The question is, why are we seeing so many mental health issues manifest themselves as violent knife crime, why are we seeing such violence, such brutality?

Controlled Spontaneity

Authorities seem more concerned about managing the publics perception of each attack rather than telling the public the absolute truth about each attack. It has become more usual than not for the media to announce the British origins of an attacker as an almost knee jerk response if appropriate following each attack. The media seems primarily concerned with the publics reaction to the attack rather than the root causes and the methods we could employ to prevent future attacks.

Parents should be able to drop their children off at a dance class safe and secure in the knowledge that their children will be safeguarded and protected. We are heading for a future where schools will need to be guarded, our children proactively protected from potential attackers and we need to ask ourselves if that is the kind of world that we want to live in?

Our leaders seem more devoted to laying a wreath and organising a candlelit vigil than in taking action to prevent further attacks. How many times have we heard that the perpetrator was on an MI5 or terror watchlist? It seems to be an irrelevance being on a list or not as it doesn’t seem to prevent attacks.

Misinformation

It is important to be able to filter out the misinformation when atrocities such as this occur. Online there have been false names and supposed facts published which have been directly refuted by the police and authorities. The police have reported that the man arrested for these killings was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents and moved to Southport at the age of 6. He is now 17 years old and thus cannot be legally named.

We also know that an HMO, a home of multiple occupancy a few miles away from the scene of the murders was raided shortly afterwards for some reason?

We need to ask ourselves some difficult questions. If we want to prevent future attacks and loss of innocent lives, we need to examine how we got here, what leads a British born man to wake up one day and decide to attack innocent children?

We clearly have some issues to address if different cultures are going to coexist side by side in peace. British involvement in the wars in Iraq & Afganistan have undoubtedly radicalised and emboldened some extremists across the Western world, most noticably on 9/11. Since then we have seen many smaller attacks.

Today, many in our communities are angered by the British support for Israel in their fight against Hamas in Gaza. Our actions abroad undoubtedly have an impact on the Muslim community living in Britain. Does this mean that we should alter our foreign policy? Does this mean we should bow down on the international stage in the face of domestic terrorism?

The People need Protecting

I would venture to suggest that we cannot deviate from our foreign policy. Instead we need to develop a better method of protection for the people on Britain.

We need to invest in protecting the public from those who wish to do us harm, be they foreign or domestic. Being on a watch list is clearly of little use, if nothing is done subsequently to prevent them from acting out evil deeds.

What we can’t do is to keep acting as if nothing is happening, that there is nothing to see. On the few occasions when white Britons have committed vile atrocities they are labeled as ‘Far Right’ almost without hesitation, very rarely do any of them have mental health issues. This does nothing to aid transparency, to aid civil harmony and allow us to make progress as a society.

What are the solutions? How do we protect our children, our families? How do we make 100% certain that no family ever has to endure the atrocity inflicted on those families yesterday? Our thoughts should be with those 3 slaughtered children, with the other injured children, with all the children who witnessed this barbaric act of murder. No one should ever have to witness such a thing, let alone to die in the midst of it. It is our duty to protect them, for children to be able to enjoy their childhoods, safe, protected and free to enjoy the freedom that this magnificient country once offered to all.

We Must Discuss the Problems We Face

While the authorities focus on managing the public mood & reaction to this act of terror, we, the people need to wait for the facts & pray that this is finally the atrocity that leads to a genuine change in how we manage people on watch lists, how we handle extremism, how we handle those who would do us harm.

Politicians are the ones who have pushed multiculturalism upon us and too many of the atrocities that have happened in the UK have been carried out by minorities. We have always had murders, mass shootings and the like, but they were rare. Today the situation is very different, it turns out that the foreign wars that we have taken part in recently have possibly inspired some who live amongst us to strike back.

We have people who live side by side with us who strongly disagree with our foreign policy, with our military actions against their fellow Muslims. Quite how you resolve that I’m not sure. Is there an answer?

Civil Unrest in Southport

Overnight rioting broke out in Southport, following the arrest of a man heading to the vigil armed with a knife. News of this event broke across social media and the fathers and mothers protesting at the lack of protection for their families escalated into violence against the police. The protestors have been labeled as ‘Far Right’ and members of the EDL (which disbanded in 2015). These were not far right thugs as so often reported, they were mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, all angry, all concerned for their safety, for the future of their country.

The police response was not consistent with the BLM riots when they knelt down, the police response was not consistent with the Leeds riots last week when the police ran away and left the Romanian rioters to it. Instead, the police got out their riot gear and stood their ground. No violent protests are ok, let’s make that clear, but where is the consistency? Is it any wonder that normal tax paying, hard working Britons feel like second class citizens in their own country?

The response of our government and law enforcement has not helped community harmony, these are normal people, parents, angry for many reasons. This violence was not the result of the brutal murders themselves, that was in my opinion the last straw of many straws. The news of a man, arrested as he headed for the vigil armed with a knife was the straw that broke the camels back.

People want fairness, equality and too many in the UK today don’t feel like they are getting a fair deal in exchange for the high taxes they have to pay.

Terror is Terrorism

Anyone unfortunate enough to be the victim of a vicious attack has experienced terrorism, it is high time we called these events what they are, regardless of the motive. It is disingenuous to gaslight the public by mislabeling acts of terror as mental health issues, that is implied by the act itself.

The public are angry because they know they are being managed, handled, gaslit. They deserve honesty and honesty about the issues and challenges we face as a society is the only way we are going to make any progress.