Westminster Diary - 12th July 2005

Tuesday, 12th July 2005

A week ago today, London stopped celebrating the 2012 Olympic Games coming to the city and reeled in shock at a series of terrorist bombings.  Many of those reading this column commute daily to London, many others will have friends or relatives who live there, and so I make no apology for writing about what happened there a week ago.

What happened was not an act of war.  It was not a political gesture.  It was a crime.  A crime of horrific proportions.  Those responsible must be treated as the criminals they are and not dignified with any other description.  I believe that the Prime Minister has adopted precisely the right tone in his reaction to what happened and I would underscore two aspects of what he has said.  First, it struck me too that as we celebrated on Sunday the heroism, of those who stood firm in the face of adversity 60 years ago during the Second World War, we can and have drawn strength from the memory of their bravery as this generation faces its own rivals.

Second, I am concerned that when our grief and shock turn to anger at what has been done to our country, as will surely happen, we must focus our anger on the right targets.  I hope that no-one in London, in Rugby and Kenilworth or any where else will attempt to blame the wider Islamic community for the acts of a fanatical few whom almost all of that Community utterly condemn.

All of Britain, regardless of race or religion, faced the Nazis together and defeated them.  Let us face the threats of terrorism and defeat it too.

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Updated on Tuesday, 12th July 2005