
Labour MP Jo Cox has been murdered and just hours later the Guardian has passed judgement in its editorial which actually compares those who criticise Islamist extremism with the Islamist extremists of the Islamic State and of course blames the mild and sensible Nigel Farage for Jo Cox’s death…..
The rhetoric of western racism and Islamophobia is the mirror of the ideology with which Isis and al-Qaida secure their recruits and that persuades them to strap explosives to themselves, and die in order to kill. It might be especially powerful in Britain, at a time when divisive hate-mongering is seeping into the mainstream.
The slide from civilisation to barbarism is shorter than we might like to imagine. Every violent crime taints the ideal of an orderly society, but when that crime is committed against the people who are peacefully selected to write the rules, then the affront is that much more profound.
What nobler vision can there be than that of a society where people can be comfortable in their difference? And what more fundamental tenet of decency is there than to put first and to cherish all that makes us human, as opposed to what divides one group from another? These are ideals that are often maligned when they are described as multiculturalism, but they are precious nonetheless. They are the ideals which led Ms Cox to campaign tirelessly for the brutalised and displaced people of Syria, and – the most painful thought – ideals for which she may now have died.
This was no random event, and the police are investigating reports that the assailant yelled “Britain First” during the attack. This is not merely a chauvinist taunt, but the name of a far-right political party, whose candidate for City Hall turned his back in disgust on Sadiq Khan at the count, in sectarian rage at a great cosmopolitan city’s decision to make a Muslim mayor. The thuggish outfit denounced Ms Cox’s murder, as it was bound to do. But their brand of angry blame-mongering could very well serve to convince particular individuals – especially those who are already close to the edge, as it is reported Ms Cox’s murderer was – that some people are less than human, and thus fair game for attack.
The Guardian ends with this plea to honour Jo Cox’s memory as it uses every trick in the book to use her death to peddle its own political agenda……
The idealism of Ms Cox was the very antithesis of such brutal cynicism. Honour her memory. Because the values and the commitment that she embodied are all that we have to keep barbarism at bay.
Note that ‘This was no random event, and the police are investigating reports that the assailant yelled “Britain First” during the attack.’
Curious that the Guardian doesn’t take note of its own reporting…
Neighbours say suspect, named locally as Thomas Mair, did voluntary work but he may have suffered mental health issues.
n 2011, he was photographed by the local paper volunteering in nearby Oakwell Hall country park. The previous year he was quoted in the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, saying he had begun volunteering after attending Pathways Day Centre for adults with mental health problems.
“I can honestly say it has done me more good than all the psychotherapy and medication in the world,” he said. “Many people who suffer from mental illness are socially isolated and disconnected from society, feelings of worthlessness are also common, mainly caused by long-term unemployment.”
He added: “All these problems are alleviated by doing voluntary work. Getting out of the house and meeting new people is a good thing, but more important in my view is doing physically demanding and useful labour.
“When you have finished there is a feeling of achievement which is emotionally rewarding and psychologically fulfilling. For people for whom full-time, paid employment is not possible for a variety of reasons, voluntary work offers a socially positive and therapeutic alternative.”
Channel 5 news says this…
Scene in Birstall where eye witness quoted says did NOT hear anyone shouting “Britain First”
#JoCox
I’m sure we’ll find out the truth once the ‘police have investigated’…in the meantime the Guardian draws its own conclusions and blames Farage for the murder.
I think the wrong newspaper was closed down when the News of the World was shut for phone hacking….then again that was because of a Guardian lie as well. Perhaps it is time the Guardian, the terrorist supporting Guardian, shut its doors.
Owen Jones 
Channel 4 News 
