YP Comment: Standing up to the forces of evil. Soldiers in a show of strength

WHAT turned a British citizen, born and bred here, into a jihadist who was prepared to blow himself up '“ and innocent young people leaving a pop concert '“ in his home city?
A member of the army joins police officers on Whitehall, London, after Scotland Yard announced armed troops will be deployed to guard "key locations" such as Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, the Palace of Westminster and embassies.A member of the army joins police officers on Whitehall, London, after Scotland Yard announced armed troops will be deployed to guard "key locations" such as Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, the Palace of Westminster and embassies.
A member of the army joins police officers on Whitehall, London, after Scotland Yard announced armed troops will be deployed to guard "key locations" such as Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, the Palace of Westminster and embassies.

Answering this question is now fundamental to the police and security operation that is in full swing after the cowardly extremist Salman Abedi perpetuated one of the worst terrorist attacks in this country’s history.

As the world shares Manchester’s grief, the Government’s rapid response – including the deployment of soldiers outside 10 Downing Street, the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace in a very visible show of strength – reflects the seriousness of the current threat.

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Given that it was deemed necessary to raise the terror threat to ‘critical’ for the first time since 2007, the implication being that another attack is imminent, Theresa May would have been on a hiding to nothing if she did not accept the advice of experts – a Prime Minister’s first duty is upholding national security and the experience accrued from six years at the Home Office can only serve the country well at present.

And though there will, in time, need to be a wider debate about whether the security services have sufficient manpower at their disposal to track those extremists whose behaviour has aroused suspicion, and whether they need greater powers of intervention, it is only right that every precaution is taken to protect the public until more definitive information is known about 22-year-old Abedi and his ‘network’ associates.

A thankless task not made any easier by American agencies tactlessly leaking details of Abedi’s identity, and other background information, while the British authorities were appealing, reasonably, for discretion, Home Secretary Amber Rudd’s annoyance was plain to hear – the suicide bomber’s radicalisation holds the key to this frenetic investigation now underway. How did he become radicalised? Was he brainwashed? If so, by whom? What was the purpose, and significance, of his trips overseas? Who assisted him in making such a sophisticated bomb that was capable of turning an arena foyer into a war zone? When, and how, did he first become known to M15? Could, and should, they have intervened when he returned to Britain from Libya? Do they need new powers?

Challenges made even more difficult because of the extent to which the internet, a supposed vehicle of education, has at times become an agent of hate, these questions – and many more – go to the very heart of the recurring conundrum between public safety, 
civil liberties and freedom of speech.

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Though Mrs May’s election manifesto makes reference to ‘defeating extremism’, it is predominantly in the context of empowering women to help Muslim women become liberated. It makes little reference to Prevent, and other community-led strategies to counter extremism, which now need to be reviewed to ascertain their effectiveness. The Tory leader says: “Our enjoyment of Britain’s diversity must not prevent us from confronting the menace of extremism.” Given soldiers on the street can only suffice for so long, the question is how?

Quiet resumption

AS the terror atrocity in Manchester becomes even more heartbreaking as the names emerged of the innocents murdered as they left a pop concert, the resumption of the General Election will feel incongruous, even irrelevant, to some people, not least those communities mourning loved ones.

With little public appetite for an election when Theresa May went to the country, there’s even less enthusiasm now in many quarters. Yet, with polling day exactly two weeks away, a prolonged cessation of campaigning hands plays into the hands those extremists intent of undermining Britain’s democratic process – the essence of a civilised society.

Yet, while it was right that politicians, and the country at large, paid their respects for 48 hours as the world came to terms with this tragedy, it’s also right that there’s a quiet resumption of the election campaign. After all, it’s not just Brexit that is at stake but the country’s national security and community relations and these matters should 
be debated.

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Provided candidates are mindful of the awful events in Manchester, and don’t exploit the tragedy for personal advantage, they should be capable of discussing these matters in a civilised manner. If not, let the electorate be the judge on June 8. The murder last June of Batley & Spen MP Jo Cox was supposed to change political discourse for the better. It did not. The name-calling and insults had become just as venomous prior to an unedifying campaign coming to such an abrupt halt. Now is the time for candidates to show the level of respect that the country should expect, by right, of its Honorable and Right Honorable MPs.