West will prevail as long as we keep up the fight
FOR terrorists to strike deliberately at an event attended largely by children and teenagers betrays a level of evil that is difficult for us to understand. Those poor youngsters hurt or killed in Monday’s sickening attack could have been any of our children or grandchildren.
Our hearts cannot help but go out to those bereaved whose worst nightmare came true on Monday night. For those who are injured we can only wish them well and offer our thanks to the NHS staff who have worked so hard to save their lives and will keep on working to help them cope as best they can with their injuries.
Every time jihadists strike at the West we are told that “the terrorists will never win”. It is no doubt true. This morning the people of Manchester will get up and, however heavy their hearts, go about their daily lives.
We will all of us – wherever we live in our great country – look to the heroic actions of the emergency services and the generous gestures made by the ordinary people of Manchester on Monday night and console ourselves with the knowledge that when terror shows us the worst in humanity the response from those affected so often shows us the best.
The security services face an impossible task when it comes to eliminating every new terror threat but this does not mean we have to sit back and accept that terrorism is a part of everyday life. We must keep up the fight.
This is a battle taking place on many fronts. There are the security services monitoring communications and suspicious activity, the police making arrests, even our air force which has scored crucial victories against the jihadists in the Middle East.
It is a battle for minds too with far more having to be done to identify young men at risk of falling prey to jihadist ideology and setting them on a better path. Each and every one of us can also play our own small part by remaining vigilant and reporting any suspicions to police.
We will defeat the forces of terror but it is not a victory we can take for granted.