The horrific and senseless attack in Westminster on Wednesday 22nd March 2017 brought horror to the streets of our nation’s capital.
Although the sickening attack was aimed at Parliament, at the very heart of our democracy, it was also an indiscriminate act of terror that killed and injured people who were simply going about their daily lives.
Our country and the British people have lived through such atrocities before; we have never given in to terrorism and we never will. Those who seek to damage us and to attack our freedoms will never win and in the days following the attack I was humbled by the stoicism of Londoners who quickly returned to their daily routines.
Tragically we lost one of the brave police officers guarding Parliament during the attack. PC Keith Palmer was killed serving his country doing the job that he loved. My deepest sympathies go out to his family and to the friends and families of all of the victims of the terrible attack.
Many brave police officers not only protect the MPs, their staff and people who work in Parliament but also the many hundreds of people who visit every day, including many school children. I want to pay tribute to their service and to their quick and decisive action last week which prevented the attacker from entering the grounds of Parliament and harming more people. I have no doubt that their actions saved many lives.
I also want to give thanks to the brave men and women of our emergency services who last Wednesday ran towards danger when most people were running from it. The police, our emergency services and our security services put themselves in harm’s way on a daily basis and they deserve our thanks, and our gratitude, for all that they do.
Attacks such as this remind us that we must stand together in the face of hatred and violence, and not let extremism or terror come between us. Although we rightly mourn last week’s tragic events we must not let this attack impact how we go about our daily lives.
Those who seek to damage us may do their worst but in the face of their aggression we will always do our very best.
Mark Pawsey MP