A statement on the 22/3/17 terrorist attack at Westminster Palace
In the past 12 hours, I have developed something that I believe to be true fear.
To acknowledge it is to let the terrorists win. After all, terrorism is, by its definition, the ability to instil fear through violence.
On the 22nd March 2017, someone decided to attack the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.
The Palace of Westminster has existed, and been extended, for the past 900 years. It finds its roots in Greek democracy from 2000 years ago, but has resulted in over 54 sovereign nations adopting it’s model of democracy. That’s over 25% of the world (190 officially recognised sovereign states) that has recognised the United Kingdom’s system of self-governance, and decided that it is a model that they wish to use in their own self-determination.
I am an unpaid volunteer for my local political party, but I have attended Westminster on a number of occasions, to lobby for views to improve Government, law, and the transparency of democracy. Some have been successful, and resulted in progress, of which I am immensely proud to have played an instrumental part.
Today’s attack was not just an attack on a building, or tourists, or ministers or their staff (some of whom I count as friends and colleagues).
It was an attack on the United Kingdom model of democracy. Which follows, that it was an attack on how an entire quarter of the world governs, gives voice to the voiceless, and self-determines.
Discussing today’s attacks, I was told not to “take it personally”.
I have friends, schoolmates, and colleagues that work in the Westminster complex. I am extremely grateful that they are all safe and unharmed.
However, I refuse to not “take it personally”.
The NATO and EU treaties dictate that an attack on one is an attack on all, and all shall come to the aid of the attacked party, in a declared state of war.
I hope not for war, truly. But an attack on the cornerstone of democracy, for almost the past millennia, is an attack not just on our citizens, our visitors and guests, our elected representatives, but all ideology, and principles of civilised debate, that they stand for.
I disagree with Labour, Conservative, Green, UKIP, and SNP representatives, and even my own Liberal Democrat friends and colleagues.
But I will cite Voltaire (I believe this to be the correct quote):
“I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write.”
PC Keith Palmer died to defend the institution that allows for such discourse to happen.
Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood tried resuscitating PC Palmer, but failed to do so despite his best efforts.
Mr Ellwood should be honoured for showing the best of humanity in its darkest hours.
Between them, PC Palmer and MP Ellwood, in the space of five minutes, showed what it means to be British. To defend principle and human decency, at all costs.
On March 22nd, 2017, someone decided that we should not be permitted to write. Or speak. Or agree, or disagree, or compromise. And they attempted to use violence to silence not just a few. The UK Parliament represents our population of 70m people. At least 54 Parliaments worldwide have adopted the United Kingdom’s principles of democracy, representing over 2.1 billion people.
I will not be silenced. As much as I am afraid of future attacks, I will continue to fight for peace, reconciliation, and justice, in that order.
Our moral fibre instructs us to carry out our duties to the best of our abilities. As a model for democracy for over one quarter of the world, we have a duty to show justice, humility, and introspection. Whoever attacked us yesterday believed they had just cause for doing so. Our duty is to understand why, and to attempt to remove the “why” from future attacks. Only by removing motive to attack us, can we make ourselves truly safe.
We may have to compromise, make peace with enemies (the Good Friday Agreements were wholly disliked at the time, but considered the best deal to be had, and peace has predominantly prevailed in Northern Ireland for 20 years since). This will not be popular. The hardest decisions rarely are.
On a final note: I own an encaustic floor tile from St. Stephen’s Hall, the original House of Commons in the Palace of Westminster. The hall was undergoing renovation, and the original floor tiles were removed and replaced with newer, sturdier tiles. The original floor tiles date back to approximately 1846. I acquired the tile in 2015, totalling 169 years of prime ministers, kings, queens, heads of state, and citizens, who have changed the course of our history, both nationally and internationally, walking across it.
Today I treasure it more than ever, for it gives me faith, now more so than ever, that we, as a society, whilst we have our faults, can still be a beacon of hope for the world at large.
We are one of the bearers of the flame of democracy that started in Greece 2000 years ago, and we will keep it lit, for as long as there are people willing to carry the torch.
Terrorism is not just Islamist extremism in the Middle East. It is also white supremacist extremism that attacks Planned Parenthood clinics in the USA. It’s suppression of Native Americans protecting their homelands from being poisoned by the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). It’s the US Government — federal, state, and local — failing to supply clean water to Flint in Michigan.
Terrorism wants to extinguish the flame, mostly (but not exclusively) in the name of religious superiority.
I dare to carry the torch for these causes, even if it means I stand alone.
Will you dare to carry one also, and walk alongside me?
