COURAGE AMID THE TERROR

ALONG with horror at the carnage in France, we must pause to celebrate the courage of police officer Ahmed Merabet, murdered by the terrorists as he lay defenceless in the street.

A hard-working father of two, he had devoted his life to community service. In these dark days as we understandably focus fury on Islamic fanatics who wish us harm, we should give thanks for Muslim heroes in our midst like Mr Merabet.

please let’s not dignify the Paris fanatics by calling them ‘assassins’ or ‘executioners’. That implies some form of political or ideological legitimacy. They were simply cold-blooded murderers.

the mother who was ordered at gunpoint to let the killers i nto the offices of Charlie Hebdo will be haunted for ever by her actions, but what choice did she have? Had she not obeyed, she and her daughter, whom she had just collected from nursery care, would surely have died.

Any mother, any father, would have done the same. And no one should blame her for that.

Forgive me a wry smile after David C a me ro n condemned the Charlie Hebdo massacre as an attack on free speech. Such hypocrisy from a man who has single-handedly done more to destroy the freedom of the Press in this country than any other living person. We’ll take no posturing from him on protecting the Fourth estate.