PAGES 4&5 ATTACK ON A MOSQUE IS ATTACK ON US ALL
Corbyn sheds tears as he visits locals targeted in heart of his own community
A TEARFUL Jeremy Corbyn yesterday called on people to rally round to protect all faiths.
The Labour leader met locals in Finsbury Park in the wake of the early morning terror attack on mosque worshippers leaving prayers.
And he was visibly moved as he addressed the sickening assault in the heart of his own Islington constituency.
He said: “An attack on a mosque, an attack on a synagogue, an attack on a church is actually an attack on all of us.
“We have to protect each others’ faith, each others’ way of life, and that’s what makes us a strong society and community.”
Corbyn regularly holds his constituency surgeries at the Muslim Welfare House mosque outside which the attack happened and at the nearby Finsbury Park Mosque.
He was one of the first political leaders to condemn the outrage, as bouquets of flowers were piled up at the scene.
He said people were frightened and added: “The only way to deal with this kind of issue is communities coming together. This is a very multifaith community – Christians, Jewish, Muslims, Hindu, Buddhist, all live around here.”
At Finsbury Park Tube station, there was a message of defiance on a whiteboard. It read: “Tough Times Don’t Last. Tough People Do. Stick Together All of Us.”
London mayor Sadiq Khan also denounced the attack, saying: “Terrorism is terrorism, whether it’s Islamist-inspired or inspired by others.”
He also urged Theresa May to halt further police cuts after years of brutal austerity. He said: “My message to the Government is – we need to get the right level of funding for a capital city.”
And he insisted London will “stay strong” after suffering its third terror attack inside three months.
He was echoed by Islington Council leader Richard Watts, who said: “Finsbury Park is a diverse and open community. and our mosques are a vital part of that community.
“This is our community and we will not be divided by any terrorist.”
After bitter criticism of her slow response to the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, the Prime Minister visited Finsbury Park mosque to meet community leaders within hours of the attack.
She described it as “an evil born out of hatred” and praised locals’ united response.
Her Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid, also visited the area to meet the locals.
Repeating her warning after the London Bridge terror attack, May made clear there will be no distinction made between Islamic and Islamophobic extremists in Britain.
She promised extra security
at mosques and other places of worship.
She went on: “This was an attack on Muslims near their place of worship. And like all terrorism … it shares the same fundamental goal.
“It seeks to drive us apart; and to break the precious bonds of solidarity and citizenship that we share in this country. We will not let this happen.”
Security Minister Ben Wallace confirmed the man held over the Finsbury Park attack was not known to the security services.
But he linked the case to a rise in the far right in Britain. Experts have warned hate crime against Muslims has soared in the wake of the London Bridge attack.
Imam Qari Asim, a member of the Government’s antiMuslim hatred working group, said: “Given that there has been a five-fold increase in antiMuslim hatred since the London Bridge attack, Muslims are deeply concerned about growing levels of Islamophobia.
“We must stand together to drown out extremism and hatred with hope and unity.”
The Hope Not Hate group, who campaign against the far right, said: “The agendas of the Islamist extremists who carried out the Manchester and London Bridge attacks differ little from the far-right extremists who set out to target Muslims.
“Both share a belief that Muslims and non-Muslims cannot live peacefully together.”
Warnings that the right-wing threat could be growing were raised after the conviction of Thomas Mair for the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox last year.
Counter-terrorism police say while the threat is not of the same gravity as that posed by Isis, extremist groups are attempting to provoke violence and create discord.