News • Opinons • Politics

Sadiq Khan After Terror Attack: ‘Our Strength Is Our Diversity’

London mayor Sadiq Khan told reporters that diversity is one of the British capital’s strengths in the wake of the London Bridge attack, and that all great cities are targets for terrorists.

“Look, I’m mayor of the greatest city in the world, and one of our strengths is our diversity,” he told reporters shortly the attack by Usman Khan, a convicted radical Islamic terrorist who had been freed from prison on a tag after serving less than half of a 16-year term, which left two dead and three injured.

“But we do know there are people out there who hate out diversity, hate what we stand for, and are trying to seek to divide us”, he added — although his grounds for appearing to suggest that terrorists despise Britain for being diverse were unclear.


Mayor Khan then flirted with controversy with a statement echoing an earlier, infamous former claim of his with respect to terror attacks — i.e. that “part and parcel of living in a great global city is you’ve got to be prepared for these things” — by telling reporters: “Look, I know, speaking to colleagues around the world, mayors of other great cities, that we’re all targets for terrorists.”


Democrats Campaigning Against Their Own Congressional Nominee Who Happens to Be in Federal Prison
Boxing Legend Mike Tyson Delivers Controversial Letter to Trump, Makes Bold Midterm Prediction
Who is Sally Yates? Cornell rape-review pick was fired by Trump after refusing to defend travel ban
One Colorado County Is Trying to Write Energy Policy for Texas: SCOTUS Has a Chance to Shut It Down
Senate Republicans playing defense heading into Election Day
Jewish Democrats consider Republican Mike Rogers for Senate
Women, Want to Radically Increase the Chances Your Marriage Will Last? Take Your Husband’s Last Name: Study
Key American industry seeing blue-collar jobs boom as Trump’s re-shoring policies pay off
In Spain’s Ceuta, a delayed government response leaves underage migrants on the streets
Socialists set sights on the ground floor of government as GOP warns of bigger plan unfolding
Multiple people killed in Pennsylvania shooting; suspected gunman found dead: report
Philadelphia police officer killed, another critical after ambush attack; suspect found hiding in tree
Fetterman plays political maverick, but his voting record tells another story
Watch: Hockey Crowd Goes Wild When WWII Vet, 105, Who Fought Under Patton Performs Nat’l Anthem on ICE
Country Star Ella Langley Abruptly Cancels Concert over ‘Serious Security Threat’

See also  DeSantis presses reluctant Floridians for swift evacuations as Hurricane Isaias strengthens

Some critics of the Mayor of London have suggested that such attacks only appear to be a feature of life in cities such as London, while in a relatively homogenous place like the Japanese capital of Tokyo they are exceedingly rare — although not entirely unknown.

Mayor Khan went on to say that London would have suffered even more deadly terror attacks like the one perpetrated by Usman Khan if not for the efforts of the authorities, confirming that “since the four terror incidents in 2017, because of the excellent work that police and the security services and because of the intelligence provided by members of the public, we’ve thwarted more than twenty attempts at terrorism on innocent citizens”.


Democrats Campaigning Against Their Own Congressional Nominee Who Happens to Be in Federal Prison
Boxing Legend Mike Tyson Delivers Controversial Letter to Trump, Makes Bold Midterm Prediction
Who is Sally Yates? Cornell rape-review pick was fired by Trump after refusing to defend travel ban
One Colorado County Is Trying to Write Energy Policy for Texas: SCOTUS Has a Chance to Shut It Down
Senate Republicans playing defense heading into Election Day
Jewish Democrats consider Republican Mike Rogers for Senate
Women, Want to Radically Increase the Chances Your Marriage Will Last? Take Your Husband’s Last Name: Study
Key American industry seeing blue-collar jobs boom as Trump’s re-shoring policies pay off
In Spain’s Ceuta, a delayed government response leaves underage migrants on the streets
Socialists set sights on the ground floor of government as GOP warns of bigger plan unfolding
Multiple people killed in Pennsylvania shooting; suspected gunman found dead: report
Philadelphia police officer killed, another critical after ambush attack; suspect found hiding in tree
Fetterman plays political maverick, but his voting record tells another story
Watch: Hockey Crowd Goes Wild When WWII Vet, 105, Who Fought Under Patton Performs Nat’l Anthem on ICE
Country Star Ella Langley Abruptly Cancels Concert over ‘Serious Security Threat’

See also  DeSantis presses reluctant Floridians for swift evacuations as Hurricane Isaias strengthens

“[W]hat’s really important is we all remain vigilant,” he warned, adding that “If anyone sees anything suspicious please report it to the police. Err on the side of caution, I’d rather people overreport to the police and the experts than under-report,” he said.

The Labour politician also praised the heroism of the have-a-go heroes who tackled Usman Khan armed with nothing but their bare hands, a fire extinguisher, and a narwhal tusk, as well as the emergency services, saying that “What was amazing about today, was we saw in one individual, the suspect, the worst of humanity, but we also saw in the response from members of the public but also our emergency services the very vest of humanity.”

“[T]he message I want to send… is we are resolute, we stand united in the face of terrorism, and we will not allow anybody to divide us,” he insisted.

Story cited here.

Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter