LONDON — Britain’s response to terrorism must change, Prime Minister Theresa May said Sunday after terrorists struck central London on Saturday night. Reports Politico.
“There is, to be frank, far too much tolerance of extremism in our society,” she said.
Speaking outside Downing Street after she chaired a meeting of Cobra, the government’s emergency committee, May said the U.K.’s general election will go ahead as planned on Thursday despite the suspension of campaigning in response to the attack.
“When it comes to taking on extremism and terrorism things have to change,” she said, indicating potential changes to sentences for terrorism offences; a crackdown on what she called “safe spaces” for extremist attitudes in U.K. society; and measures to stop extremists from recruiting people online.
The prime minister signalled a crackdown on Islamist extremism in the U.K., insisting that it had been “tolerated” for too long. Declaring “enough is enough” May said new powers could be rushed through for the security services, as well as longer prison sentences for known fanatics and new measures to remove internet “safe spaces” for extremist sympathizers.
“This is the third terrorist attack Britain has experienced in the last three months,” she noted, adding that the incident was not linked to last month’s suicide bombing in Manchester, but warned it was part of a “new trend.”
“We cannot and must not pretend that things can continue to carry on as they are,” she said. “Enough is enough.”
However, the prime minister said national campaigning would resume Monday and the general election would go ahead as planned on Thursday.
In her statement she confirmed that three men drove a white van into pedestrians on London Bridge and then, armed with knives and fake explosives, assaulted people at next door Borough Market. Within eight minutes of being called, police arrived on the scene, shooting all three of the attackers dead, she said.