Embrace diversity in wake of horror

There was, in the early hours of Monday evening, joy in Manchester Arena: it was an Ariana Grande pop concert, an artist beloved by children and families. Then there was horror and a long night of blood. In an instant, the young life that coursed through that happy crowd was turned to death.

It is no solace to know that we live in an age of terror. No easier to know, now, that on that spring night, among the thousands out in that northern English city, leaving pubs or walking home from a meal, preoccupied with their banal thoughts and quietly reassuring mundanities, there was a person whose thoughts were not banal or mundane at all. The result of a single suicide bomber’s lethal malice is the loss of 22 lives and dozens injured, some with life-altering wounds.

We must respond to the changing shape of the threat we face. We need smart policing focused on targeting suspects. Given the slew of laws recently adopted in the name of national security, which human rights groups say are “among the most draconian in the EU”, there’s little reason to suggest more are needed.

When she was home secretary, Prime Minister Theresa May had a worrying authoritarian bent, and her speeches seemed to stress policing people’s thoughts rather than their acts. This is not what is now required. Neither is the Conservative manifesto’s plan of new criminal offences. A better approach would be to uphold our values and adhere to the rule of law. We could win over the confidence of marginalised communities by cracking down on hate speech and crimes. Incendiary comments deliberately designed to inflame fraught situations should be investigated.

We should incorporate dissent and accommodate diverse voices, because we are a society that is prepared to debate and learn. In these ways, we would show our way of life is a strength not a weakness. /London, May 24.