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World | Fri Jun 17, 2016 3:30am EDT
British lawmaker shot dead, EU referendum campaigns suspended
A British member of parliament was shot dead in the street on
Thursday, causing deep shock across
Britain and the suspension of
campaigning for next week's referendum on the country's EU membership.
Jo Cox, 41, a lawmaker for the opposition
Labour Party and a vocal advocate for
Britain
remaining in the European Union, was attacked while preparing to meet
constituents in Birstall near Leeds in northern
England.
Media reports said she had been shot and
stabbed.
West Yorkshire regional police said a
52-year-old man was arrested by officers nearby and weapons including a firearm
recovered. "We are not in a position to discuss any motive at this
time," said Temporary Chief Constable Dee Collins.
One witness said a man pulled an old or
makeshift gun from a bag and fired twice. "I saw a lady on the floor like
on the beach with her arms straight and her knees up and blood all over the
face," Hichem Ben-Abdallah told reporters. "She wasn't making any
noise, but clearly she was in agony."
The lawmaker's husband Brendan said:
"She would have wanted two things above all else to happen now: one, that
our precious children are bathed in love and two, that we all unite to fight
against the hatred that killed her."
The rival referendum campaign groups said
they were suspending activities for the day, with the Remain camp saying its
activities would also be suspended on Friday. Prime Minister David Cameron said
he would pull out of a planned rally in Gibraltar, the British territory on the
southern coast of
Spain.
Cameron said the killing of the
mother-of-two, who had worked on U.S. President Barack Obama's 2008 election
campaign, was a tragedy.
"We have lost a great star," the
Conservative prime minister said. "She was a great campaigning MP with huge
compassion, with a big heart. It is dreadful, dreadful news."
It was not immediately clear what the impact
would be on the June 23 referendum, which has polarized the nation into pro-
and anti-EU camps. But some analysts speculated it could boost the pro-EU
"Remain" campaign, which in recent days has fallen behind the
"Leave" camp in opinion polls.
Britain's
sterling currency rose against the dollar after news of the attack, adding
around two cents.
Finance minister George Osborne and Bank of
England
Governor Mark Carney scrapped major speeches planned for Thursday evening and
the International Monetary Fund said it had delayed the publication of a report
on the British economy.
'HORRIFIC
MURDER'
Media reports, citing witnesses, said the
attacker had shouted out "
Britain
first", which is the name of a right-wing nationalist group that describes
itself on its website as "a patriotic political party and street defence
organisation".
But the deputy leader of the group, Jayda
Fransen, completely distanced it from the attack, which she described as
"absolutely disgusting".
West Yorkshire's
elected Police and Crime Commissioner said "our information is that this
is a localised incident, albeit one that has a much wider impact".
Gun ownership is highly restricted in
Britain, and
attacks of any nature on public figures are rare. The last British lawmaker to
have been killed in an attack was Ian Gow, who died after a bomb planted by the
Irish Republican Army (IRA) exploded under his car at his home in southern
England in
1990.
Britain's
Union Jack flag was flying at half-mast over the Houses of Parliament in
London, while in Birstall
hundreds of people attended a vigil at a local church.
Colleagues expressed their shock and
disbelief at the death of Cox, a
Cambridge
University graduate who
had spent a decade working for aid agency Oxfam in roles including head of
humanitarian campaigning and was known for her work on women's issues.
She won election to parliament for northern
England's Batley and Spen district at the 2015
general election, and lived with her husband and children on a traditional
Dutch barge moored on the Thames near the
Tower of London.
Related Coverage
"We've lost a wonderful woman, we've lost a wonderful member of
parliament, but our democracy will go on," Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn
said in a televised statement. "As we mourn her memory, we'll work in her
memory to achieve that better world she spent her life trying to achieve."
Labour lawmaker Sarah Champion said:
"She's a tiny woman, five feet nothing and a lion as well - she fights so
hard for the things she believes in. I cannot believe anyone would do this to
her."
Police said a 77-year-old man was also
assaulted in the incident and suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
BBC TV and other media showed a picture of
the alleged suspect, a balding white man, being apprehended by police.
Temporary Chief Constable Collins said a "very significant investigation
with large numbers of witnesses" was under way.
"We are not looking for anyone else in
connection with this incident," she said.
The last attack on a British legislator was
in 2010, when Labour member and ex-cabinet minister Stephen Timms was stabbed
in the stomach at his office in east
London by a
21-year-old student who was angry over his backing for the 2003
Iraq war.
In 2000, a Liberal Democrat local councillor
was murdered by a man with a samurai sword at the offices in western
England of
lawmaker Nigel Jones, who was also seriously hurt in the attack.
(Reporting
by Kylie MacLellan, Michael Holden, Estelle Shirbon, David Milliken and William
Schomberg; Writing by Michael Holden; Editing by Pravin Char)
British lawmaker killed in "charged" atmosphere before vote on EU
Published: 10:14 EST, 17 June 2016 | Updated: 10:15 EST, 17 June 2016
By Michael Holden
LONDON, June 17 (Reuters) - In the weeks before lawmaker
Jo Cox was killed, there were warnings that passions could spill into violence
in the fevered campaign for next week's referendum on Britain's membership of
the European Union.
Police have declined to comment on the motive for
Thursday's murder, but the attack has raised questions about whether those
fears have now been realised.
Cox, a supporter of the campaign to stay in the EU, was
shot and stabbed by a man who witnesses said shouted "Britain
first" -- a rallying cry for some supporters of the "Leave"
campaign but also the name of a right-wing group.
Leading figures from the "Remain" campaign have
made no link between Cox's death and the referendum campaign, which has become
increasingly angry and bitter in the latter stages.
But on social media some Britons highlighted a warning
last month by Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-EU UKIP party and one of the
most prominent figures in the referendum campaign.
"I think it is legitimate to say that if people feel
they've lost control completely, and we have lost control of our borders
completely as members of the European Union, and if people feel that voting
doesn't change anything then violence is the next step," Farage told BBC
TV in last month's comments.
He went on to say he found it "difficult to
contemplate it happening here but nothing is impossible", and said after
the attack that he was horrified and deeply saddened.
One of the most emotive issues during the campaign for
the June 23 referendum has been immigration.
Supporters of a British exit, or Brexit, say that
uncontrolled immigration from the rest of the EU has put pressure on jobs and
services, and that millions of Turks could arrive in Britain
if Turkey
joins the 28-country bloc.
"Taking place inside the febrile and
increasingly-charged atmosphere of the EU referendum debate -- with the swing
to anti-immigrant sentiment -- for some that may swing them towards hate, and
for a smaller minority perhaps even violence," Nick Ryan, of the
anti-racism group Hope Not Hate, told Reuters.
Tempers have also flared over accusations of
scaremongering by both sides and allegations by each that the other is
distorting the facts, especially on the cost of EU membership to Britain and the
likely economic impact of a Brexit.
The "Remain" campaign led by Prime Minister
David Cameron says an exit would be a "leap into the dark" for the
country and its economy. The "Leave" campaign says a Brexit would
liberate Britain
to trade more freely with the world.
FAR-RIGHT LINKS?
British media have named the suspected killer arrested by
police as 52-year-old Thomas Mair, whose brother said he had a history of
mental illness and no strong political views.
But a U.S.
civil rights group said a man by the name of Thomas Mair had been associated
with a neo-Nazi organisation since 1999, and the cry of "Britain
first" heard by witnesses raised the possibility the attack was
politically-motivated.
Among those to use the phrase is a small Christian,
right-wing nationalist political party called Britain First whose motto is
"Taking Our Country Back".
The party, set up in 2011, wants to halt immigration,
deport all illegal immigrants and make it an act of treason to transfer any
sovereignty to a foreign institution.
But its leader, Paul Golding, has distanced the group
from any link to Cox's killing, which he called a "despicable crime",
and said it had no connections with Mair.
"What this person said -- was he referring to an
organisation, was he referring to a slogan, was he shouting out in the middle
of an EU debate 'It's time we put Britain first'?" he said in a
video statement on the group's website.
"I've heard this almost every day. It's the name of
our party yes ... (but) everyone is saying it's time we put Britain first,
it's the type of language that's been utilised during this referendum
campaign."
The party has 1.4 million "likes" on Facebook
and anti-fascist campaigners say its ranks include former members of the
British nationalist Party (BNP), a far-right party that won two seats in
elections to the European Parliament in 2009.
But Britain First remains a fringe party, having mustered
just 1 percent of first-round votes when Golding stood in an election for
London Mayor in May.
Golding turned his back when it was announced that
Labour's Muslim candidate, Sadiq Khan, had won the election and although the
party rejects accusations it is racist, it says it wants to introduce a
comprehensive ban on Islam.
It also recently held its first activist training camp in
the mountains of north Wales,
with a film on its website showing members wearing military fatigues holding
Union flags, boxing and practicing self-defence.
Support for far-right parties in Europe has grown as the
continent struggles with an influx of migrants, most notably in Austria where
far-right candidate Norbert Hofer almost won a presidential election in May.
But Britain
has not seen any notable rise in far-right public backing, and the BNP has
faded into obscurity. (Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Timothy Heritage)
LONDON Lawmaker Jo Cox was shot dead in the
street in northern England
on Thursday, causing shock across Britain and leading to the
suspension of campaigning for next week's referendum on the country's EU
membership. [nL8N1991FN]
Following
is a summary of reaction:
BRENDAN COX, JO'S HUSBAND
"Jo
believed in a better world and she fought for it every day of her life with an
energy and a zest for life that would exhaust most people.
"She
would have wanted two things above all else to happen now: one that our
precious children are bathed in love and two, that we all unite to fight
against the hatred that killed her."
PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON
"We
have lost a great star. She was a great campaigning MP with huge compassion,
with a big heart."
"It
is right that we are suspending campaigning activity in this referendum, and
everyone's thoughts will be with Jo's family and her constituents at this
terrible time."
LABOUR PARTY LEADER JEREMY CORBYN
"We've
lost a wonderful woman, we've lost a wonderful member of parliament, but our
democracy will go on. Her work will go on. As we mourn her memory, we'll work
in her memory to achieve that better world she spent her life trying to
achieve."
"Jo
died doing her public duty at the heart of our democracy, listening to and
representing the people she was elected to serve."
"In
the coming days, there will be questions to answer about how and why she died.
But for now all our thoughts are with Jo's husband Brendan and their two young
children."
U.S. PRESUMPTIVE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL
NOMINEE HILLARY CLINTON
"I
am horrified by the assassination of British MP Jo Cox, murdered earlier today
in her district in Northern England. By all
accounts, she was a rising star. It is cruel and terrible that her life was cut
short by a violent act of political intolerance.
"It
is critical that the United States
and Britain,
two of the world's oldest and greatest democracies, stand together against
hatred and violence. This is how we must honour Jo Cox -- by rejecting bigotry
in all its forms, and instead embracing, as she always did, everything that
binds us together."
GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL
"The
incident is terrible, dramatic and our thoughts are with the people affected –
the Labour lawmakers, the politicians. I don't want to connect this with the
vote on Great Britain
staying in the European Union.
"I
think the lesson must be that we have to treat each other with respect, even if
we have different political views.
"The
exaggerations and radicalisation in some of the language do not help to foster
an atmosphere of this kind of respect. That is why all of us who value the
democratic rules of the game know how important it is to be careful to set
limits in choosing our words and in making our arguments, and to treat with
respect those who think differently, who have different faiths, who live
differently, and who love differently. Otherwise the radicalization will be
difficult to stop."
FRENCH PRIME MINISTER MANUEL VALLS
"Deeply
sad for Jo Cox and the British people. Through her it's our democratic ideals
that were targeted. Never accept that!"
U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY
"I
join you in expressing my deep sorrow that a young parliamentarian, who
obviously was a young woman of enormous talent, has been killed in the conduct
of her duties with her constituency. It is an assault on everybody who
cares about and has faith in democracy. And our thoughts are profoundly with
the family – her husband, her children – and with all of the British people,
who I know feel the loss profoundly."
BRITISH FINANCE MINISTER GEORGE OSBORNE
"Jo
fought to help the refugees from the Syrian
civil war – she gave a voice to those whose cry for help she felt was not being
heard."
"It
changed attitudes and I know it contributed to a change in policy. She will
never know how many lives she helped transform. Today, doing that job, she
senselessly lost her own life."
DUTCH FINANCE MINISTER JEROEN DIJSSELBLOEM, CHAIRMAN
OF GROUP OF EURO ZONE FINANCE MINISTERS
"The
UK
is a beacon for peaceful politics and we hope that the British public ... can
make their democratic choices serenely and in a safe way next week."
DANISH PRIME MINISTER LARS RASMUSSEN
"My
thoughts are with her family, her friends, and the British people. It was
a true shock to me that a British politician was killed during the
campaign."
SCOTTISH FIRST MINISTER NICOLA STURGEON
"This
is utterly shocking and tragic news, which has left everyone stunned."
"She
was held in huge regard as a brilliant young woman, who had already contributed
a huge amount in her time in parliament, and today she was simply going about
her job as a local MP."
U.S. AMBASSADOR TO BRITAIN MATTHEW BARZUN
"We
are heartbroken by the loss to her family and country of MP Jo Cox. My love and
our love to them, in this time of unbearable grief."
FORMER U.S. CONGRESSWOMAN GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, WHO
SURVIVED SHOOTING IN 2011
"Absolutely
sickened to hear of the assassination of Jo Cox. She was young, courageous, and
hardworking. A rising star, mother, and wife."
MAX LAWSON OF CHARITY OXFAM, WHO WORKED CLOSELY WITH
COX
"Jo
was a diminutive pocket rocket from the north. She was a ball of energy, always
smiling, full of new ideas, of idealism, of passion. She gave so much to
Oxfam."
DAVID MILIBAND, FORMER BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY
"People
in need around the world have lost a tireless, effective and redoubtable
champion today following the murder of Jo Cox MP. Her passionate advocacy,
first of all working in NGOs and then in parliament as an elected
representative, on behalf of vulnerable and displaced people was a study in
effective activism."
HENRIETTE REKER, MAYOR OF COLOGNE, WHO SURVIVED A POLITICALLY MOTIVATED
STABBING LAST OCTOBER
"The
death of Jo Cox has really affected me. Xenophobic slogans inevitably lead to
violence.
"We
all bear the responsibility that such a situation never happens again in Germany
or Europe."
JOHN CURTICE, POLLING EXPERT AND POLITICS PROFESSOR
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE
"It's
fairly clear no one is quite sure what has happened. Until it's clear who was
responsible and what their motivation was or it might have been, all it does is
stop the campaign when the 'Remain' side probably would not want it to be
stopped."
MUJTABA RAHMAN, EUROPE PRACTICE HEAD AT EURASIA GROUP
"This
will hurt the momentum of the 'Leave' campaign, which has been gaining steadily
in recent polls."
"It
will allow British Prime Minister David Cameron an opportunity to act like a
statesman and retrieve the agenda, something he has lost over the last week.
"If
the incident is confirmed to have been motivated by Brexit, it will also
reflect poorly on the more strident elements of the Vote Leave campaign, potentially
swinging undecided voters towards 'Remain.'"
ALAN RUSKIN, GLOBAL CO-HEAD OF FX RESEARCH AT DEUTSCHE
BANK
"Certainly
people are talking about the possibility that this does influence the Brexit
vote in favour of 'Remain'. It is a tragic event all around. There is a sense,
there is an immediate emotional reaction, but there is still a week before the
referendum itself."
"It definitely is seen as part of the story, the recovery of risk.
Generally you are seeing so-called riskier assets recover. All the assets,
whether equities, aussie/yen or sterling/yen are recovering. They are up on the
perception of a higher probability of a 'Remain' vote."
(Compiled by David Milliken, Andy Bruce, Estelle
Shirbon and Ana Nicolaci da Costa, editing by Susan Thomas)
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