Archbishop urges unity in the face of terror attacks

FOLLOWING FRIDAY’s deadly attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait, the Archbishop of Canterbury has called for people to stand firm in their solidarity with each other.

In France emergency services were called to the scene when a decapitated body was found. Hours later tourist hotels in Tunisia were the focus of Islamist attacks, leaving at least 30 dead. In Kuwait a bomb blast ripped through a mosque during Friday prayers, leaving many dead and injured.

Archbishop Justin Welby said: “All of us must be full of grief at the attacks in Tunisia, France and Kuwait. They are intended not only to destroy but to divide, not only to terrify but to take from us our own commitment to each other in our societies.

“Let us together mourn for the victims, weep with the bereaved, support the injured and pray for them all to the God who in Jesus Christ went to the Cross and died rather than bearing a sword.”

But while the terrorists may have been trying to bring division, the Archbishop’s message was unequivocal: “Facing such a global and long-term menace we are called to reaffirm our solidarity with each other and affirm the great treasures of freedom, in religion and so many other ways.

“Our strength is in the God who conquered evil when Jesus rose from the dead, and on his death and victory we find the basis for our future.”

The British Home Secretary, Theresa May, held a press conference in Sousse, Tunisia, at the site of the shooting, saying that the attack was a ‘despicable act of cruelty’.

She reaffirmed the Prime Minister’s resolve to defeat those who undermine freedom and democracy.

During a statement in the House of Commons, David Cameron led a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting, among them, 18 British (although that number was expected to rise). A minute of silence is being observed nationally today (Friday).

The Prime Minister said Britain will stand in solidarity with the Muslims around the world and ‘take on the radical narrative that is poisoning young minds.’

“Be stronger at standing up for values, and be intolerant of the intolerant,” Cameron urged.