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.”


El-Sayed under fire online after taking aim at Usha Vance, female Trump aide in weekend social media posts
Karoline Leavitt reveals next role after leaving White House press secretary post
Alaska Republicans scramble to educate voters on suspected Dem plant as ‘ballot fatigue’ threatens race
Virginia Dem admits system ‘failure’ after illegal immigrant accused in landlord killing escapes to Tajikistan
Ford Adds Thousands of Jobs in United States as Move Away from China Continues
Report: Meghan and Harry’s Brazen Attempts – and Embarrassing Rejections – at Becoming US Political Operators
Nevada brush fire spreads to 10,500 acres as governor declares state of emergency
Christian Club Files Lawsuit After School District Blocks Volunteer Mentors
White House revs up ‘iconic’ Freedom 250 race as IndyCars prepare to unleash American muscle on DC streets
African Witchcraft, Blackmail, and American Boys: How Nigerians 6,000 Miles Away Are Killing US Teens
Minnesota Woman Sues Chipotle for Massive Sum Over Burrito Bowl
Florida couple allegedly held four children in tractor-trailer cab for nearly seven years
‘Barbaric’ abortion provision fuels Christian push to crack down on Dem governor
Nearly One-Third of Gen Z Steers Clear of Car Insurance, Survey Finds
Mixed support from black voters threatens el Sayed’s Michigan Senate hopes

See also  US threatens Belgian university over suspension of academic who exposed Jason Arday fraud

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”.


El-Sayed under fire online after taking aim at Usha Vance, female Trump aide in weekend social media posts
Karoline Leavitt reveals next role after leaving White House press secretary post
Alaska Republicans scramble to educate voters on suspected Dem plant as ‘ballot fatigue’ threatens race
Virginia Dem admits system ‘failure’ after illegal immigrant accused in landlord killing escapes to Tajikistan
Ford Adds Thousands of Jobs in United States as Move Away from China Continues
Report: Meghan and Harry’s Brazen Attempts – and Embarrassing Rejections – at Becoming US Political Operators
Nevada brush fire spreads to 10,500 acres as governor declares state of emergency
Christian Club Files Lawsuit After School District Blocks Volunteer Mentors
White House revs up ‘iconic’ Freedom 250 race as IndyCars prepare to unleash American muscle on DC streets
African Witchcraft, Blackmail, and American Boys: How Nigerians 6,000 Miles Away Are Killing US Teens
Minnesota Woman Sues Chipotle for Massive Sum Over Burrito Bowl
Florida couple allegedly held four children in tractor-trailer cab for nearly seven years
‘Barbaric’ abortion provision fuels Christian push to crack down on Dem governor
Nearly One-Third of Gen Z Steers Clear of Car Insurance, Survey Finds
Mixed support from black voters threatens el Sayed’s Michigan Senate hopes

See also  Recalling a political analyst whose insight would have risen above the midterm elections din

“[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