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.”
Alleged J6 Pipe Bomber Pleads Not Guilty After Reportedly Saying He Did it to Defend Biden’s Election Win
J6 Officer Praised By the Media Appears to Call for Violence Against ICE Agents
Rand Paul says Trump’s threat to bomb Iran ‘is not the answer’: Not the ‘job of the American government’
San Antonio ends its abortion travel fund after new state law, legal action
Los Angeles wildfire recovery enters second year as frustration and uncertainty linger
Smithsonian replaces Trump portrait display, strips Jan. 6 and impeachment references from accompanying text
Trump says Greenland’s defense is ‘two dog sleds’ as he pushes for US acquisition of territory
Wild video shows federal agents detaining 2 men at Minnesota gas station as agitators gather
Trump says Iran ‘starting to’ cross US red lines as protesters die in government crackdown
Deadly avalanche claims 2 snowmobilers in Washington state backcountry, 2 rescued
Breaking: Truck Plows Through Anti-Iranian Regime Protest in Los Angeles
Trump’s motorcade route adjusted after Secret Service finds ‘suspicious object’ at Palm Beach airport
Jacob Frey tells critics ‘sorry I offended their delicate ears’ after ICE f-bomb controversy
Street takeovers and traffic control by agitators in Minnesota cross legal lines, retired detective says
Suspect arrested after fire burns oldest Mississippi synagogue
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.
London Bridge killer Usman Khan was a convicted terrorist released from prison after judges changed his "public protection" sentence. Public protection sentences were scrapped by the Tories and deemed unlawful in a European court ruling. https://t.co/p5wfe2BhUK
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) November 30, 2019
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”.
Alleged J6 Pipe Bomber Pleads Not Guilty After Reportedly Saying He Did it to Defend Biden’s Election Win
J6 Officer Praised By the Media Appears to Call for Violence Against ICE Agents
Rand Paul says Trump’s threat to bomb Iran ‘is not the answer’: Not the ‘job of the American government’
San Antonio ends its abortion travel fund after new state law, legal action
Los Angeles wildfire recovery enters second year as frustration and uncertainty linger
Smithsonian replaces Trump portrait display, strips Jan. 6 and impeachment references from accompanying text
Trump says Greenland’s defense is ‘two dog sleds’ as he pushes for US acquisition of territory
Wild video shows federal agents detaining 2 men at Minnesota gas station as agitators gather
Trump says Iran ‘starting to’ cross US red lines as protesters die in government crackdown
Deadly avalanche claims 2 snowmobilers in Washington state backcountry, 2 rescued
Breaking: Truck Plows Through Anti-Iranian Regime Protest in Los Angeles
Trump’s motorcade route adjusted after Secret Service finds ‘suspicious object’ at Palm Beach airport
Jacob Frey tells critics ‘sorry I offended their delicate ears’ after ICE f-bomb controversy
Street takeovers and traffic control by agitators in Minnesota cross legal lines, retired detective says
Suspect arrested after fire burns oldest Mississippi synagogue
“[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.
The footage of bystanders – one armed with a fire-extinguisher and a Polish chef with a narwhal tusk – tackling the London Bridge attacker is simply remarkable. Incredible courage. https://t.co/a85D6Up7JA
— Richard Chambers (@newschambers) November 30, 2019
Story cited here.
