British Member of Parliament David Amess was meeting with his constituency, inside the Belfairs Methodist Church Hall in Essex England, when he was stabbed to death in an attack on October 15. He was part of one of the 650 Members of Parliament in the British Parliamentary System elected to serve in the British House of Commons, which is similar to the US House of Commons. MPs attend many public events to meet people in order to better understand current issues that their people are facing, which they will discuss during Parliament meetings. David Amess had been serving for almost 24 years as a conservative, raising the concerns and issues of his constituents as well as voting in new laws. The British police arrested the murderer Ali Harbi Al on the scene, and he was charged with murder. He is of Somali ancestory but born in the U.K. whose father was a Afghanistan refugee. Investigators believe that the killer was motivated by Islamist extremism, and are investigating whether it was an individual attack or if he acted as part of a larger group such as the Taliban. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called David Amess “one of the kindest, nicest, most gentle people in politics.”
People have tied this tragedy to the bigger issue of how politicians are sometimes mistreated by the public in the U.K. Prior to the deadly attack, there was a history of mudslining attacks against Amess and other politicians on social media. Making negative and spiteful comments has been made easier through online anonymity. Amess’s death has raised new awareness on the consequences of such anonymous derogatory comments and assaults through social media.
Days after the attack, in the Essex town of Leigh-on-Sea, people gathered to pay their respects and commemorate Amess’s life outside the Belfairs Methodist Church where he was attacked. Large numbers of people including Muslims participated over the weekends to show that they don’t condone the attack. The new MP that will replace David Amess has not been decided yet, but the election will likely be heated between the Conservative party and Labor party who both want the seat. The government is considering enforcing protection for MPs in the future during public events.
Questions:
- What can the government do in the future to protect against attacks like these?
- What can people do to stop derogatory mudslinging towards politicians online?
- How can people express their opinions/dissatisfaction in an acceptable way?
Sources:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58951887
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58930593
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58943184
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/10/17/uk-security-mps-david-amess-stabbing/
2 comments:
In order to avoid tragedies like this in the future, the government can employ stricter security protocols. Having security guards with portable metal detectors around and only letting people into government meetings that are on an approved list could help keep people safer. In terms of how people can express their opinions and dissatisfaction in an acceptable way, people simply need to be respectful. It’s okay to disagree with someone, but it’s not okay to threaten people or knowingly spread false information about people. The internet’s anonymity can be both a blessing and a curse, but we all need to understand that real people are on the other sides of those screens. Words have impacts and we need to foster healthy conversations online that focus on constructively criticizing ideas rather than character.
As Elizabeth articulated, there's a very large difference between hurting others and expressing your opinions. There should be an easier way in the British system for ordinary citizens to express their opinions about the system - even though the system is mainly democratic, it still has traces of its hierarchical past. For example, the house of lords still has 92 hereditary seats, so this should and probably is a wake-up call for the UK system as well as a trajedy.
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