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'Horrendous': UK Mourns After Labour Party MP Jo Cox Killed by Gunman
Details remain incomplete and unconfirmed, but some witness accounts suggest murder may have been politically motivated
Jun 16, 2016
British Labour Party MP Jo Cox died on Thursday after being both stabbed and shot following an event in Yorkshire with local constituents.
As the nation responded to the news with shock and sadness, the police said they are continuing their investigation amid some reports suggesting the killing was politically motivated.
Dee Collins, the chief constable of West Yorkshire police, confirmed to reporters that a suspect is in custody but said investigators are not able to discuss possible motives at this time.
The Guardian newspaper has posted a powerful obituary of the 41-year-old wife, mother of two, and humanitarian turned lawmaker. In addition, the paper's editorial board published a sharp rebuke to the violence that took her life and the politics of hatred and divisiveness that may have played a role in motivating her murder.
"What nobler vision can there be than that of a society where people can be comfortable in their difference?" it read in part. "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 brutalized and displaced people of Syria, and - the most painful thought - ideals for which she may now have died."
Following confirmation of her death, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn issued the following statement:
The whole of the Labour party and Labour family - and indeed the whole country - will be in shock at the horrific murder of Jo Cox today.
Jo had a lifelong record of public service and a deep commitment to humanity. She worked both for Oxfam and the anti-slavery charity, the Freedom Fund, before she was elected last year as MP for Batley and Spen - where she was born and grew up.
Jo was dedicated to getting us to live up to our promises to support the developing world and strengthen human rights - and she brought those values and principles with her when she became an MP.
Jo died doing her public duty at the heart of our democracy, listening to and representing the people she was elected to serve. It is a profoundly important cause for us all.
Jo was universally liked at Westminster, not just by her Labour colleagues, but across Parliament.
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. They will grow up without their mum, but can be immensely proud of what she did, what she achieved and what she stood for.
We send them our deepest condolences. We have lost a much loved colleague, a real talent and a dedicated campaigner for social justice and peace. But they have lost a wife and a mother, and our hearts go out to them.
Meanwhile, Brendan Cox, her husband and the father of their two young daughters, sent out this solemn, wordless tweet:
\u201chttps://t.co/mPOaytowxN\u201d— Brendan Cox (@Brendan Cox) 1466088613
Subsequently, he released the following statement:
Today is the beginning of a new chapter in our lives. More difficult, more painful, less joyful, less full of love. I and Jo's friends and family are going to work every moment of our lives to love and nurture our kids and to fight against the hate that killed Jo.
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. Hate doesn't have a creed, race or religion, it is poisonous.
Jo would have no regrets about her life; she lived every day of it to the full.
Earlier:
British Labour Party MP Jo Cox is in critical condition after being shot and stabbed during a violent attack on Thursday, according to breaking news reports in the UK.
Though details remain incomplete, Cox was reportedly in the town of Birstall when the attack occurred and witness accounts suggest the violence may have been politically motivated.
According to an eye-witness account reported on the Mirror's live coverage page, the suspected gunman--who was subsequently detained by police--shouted "Britain First" as he gunned down Cox. That phrase is a reference to the upcoming referendum in the UK on whether or not the country will stay in the European Union. Cox, a left-wing member of Parliament and former head of policy and humanitarian campaigning for Oxfam, has been an outspoken critic of the so-called "Brexit" from the EU.
Far-right and nationalist factions of the Leave Campaign have been roundly criticized for using xenophobic language and bigotry against immigrants and refugees as they argue in favor of Brexit.
And as Liam O'Hare, a journalist with RTUK, noted on Twitter, "If true that Jo Cox's attacker shouted 'Britain First' then this should be categorised as a far-right terrorist attack."
According to Sky News, the witness said the shooter looked to be in his 60s or 70s--though police later stated the man in their custody was in his early 50s.
Though the possible motivations behind Thursday's violence remain unknown as of this writing, if it is confirmed that political views played a role it would not be the first time Cox has experienced physical aggression from #VoteLeave advocates. As this tweet from Cox's husband from Wednesday of this week shows:
\u201cSo this is the moment the #VoteLeave lot started hosing my kids with river water. Nice friendly lot #floatilla\u201d— Brendan Cox (@Brendan Cox) 1465999633
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn responded to the news on Twitter. "Utterly shocked by the news of the attack on Jo Cox," Corbyn wrote. "The thoughts of the whole Labour Party are with her and her family at this time."
Progressive columnist Owen Jones tweeted: "Horrendous. All my thoughts with [Jo Cox]."
Following the attack, local police released the following statement:
At 12.53 today, police were called to a report of an incident on Market Street, Birstall, where a woman in her 40s had suffered serious injuries and is in critical condition.
A man in his late 40s to early 50s nearby also suffered slight injuries.
Armed officers attended and a 52-year-old man was arrested in the area. There are no further details at present.
Police presence in the area has been increased as a reassurance to the community.
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Japan's 'War Laws' Provoke Skirmish in Parliament, Protests in Streets
With U.S. backing, the ruling party is aggressively pushing the legislation despite mass public opposition
Sep 17, 2015
While protests raged in the streets outside, a scuffle broke out inside Japan's parliament on Thursday when opposition lawmakers sought to physically prevent the ruling Liberal Democratic Party from passing a series of widely unpopular bills derided as "war legislation" that would allow the country's soldiers to participate in the foreign wars of the United States and other allies.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been aggressively pressing for the rapid passage of the 11-bill package, which already sailed through the lower house in July.
On Thursday night, upper house lawmakers in Tokyo opposed to the bills attempted to block a vote by physically preventing the committee chairperson from accessing his microphone. When ruling party politicians surrounded the chairperson, a scrum broke out, with punches thrown and some politicians even piling on top of the melee.
Despite the skirmish, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party ultimately passed the bills, which are next headed to the full upper house for what could be the final vote. Abe is aiming to drive the legislation through during parliament's current session, which ends September 27.
"If bills can be passed in a violent way like that, then our country's democracy is dead," Tetsuro Fukuyama, committee member of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, told the New York Times.
Ruling party lawmakers advanced the legislation in defiance of tens of thousands of protesters who have rallied from Tokyo to Osaka to Kyoto against the package, which many worry will further militarize Japanese society. On Thursday night, massive crowds braved heavy rain to gather outside of parliament chanting: "Scrap the war bills now!" A protest led by students, union members, and peace advocates in late August drew over 120,000 people to Tokyo, followed by a rally of at least 45,000 earlier this week.
Backed by the United States, the bills would permit the country's military, known as the Self-Defense Force, to participate in overseas wars and combat operations--even in cases where Japan is not directly attacked--for the first time since World War II. The political move comes amid the country's deepening military ties with the United States which is orchestrating a "pivot" to Asia in an effort to hedge against China.
The package is widely unpopular in Japan. According to polling information released Monday by the Japanese publication The Asahi Shimbun, 68 percent of voters in the country hold that the security legislation in the current parliamentary session is unnecessary and 54 percent oppose to the bills. Just 29 percent of Japanese voters said they support the package.
But concerns extend far beyond the "war legislation" to include anger at the government's push to restart the country's nuclear reactors and a controversial state secrets law passed last year.
Aki Okuda, a student at Tokyo's Meiji Gakuin University and founding organizer with Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy, recently told Japan Times: "No matter what happens with these security bills, the people who are now standing up and raising their voices will not stop."
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Two Confirmed Dead In Shooting Near Canadian Parliament
Police are searching for "multiple shooters"
Oct 22, 2014
Update 2:40 EST:
Two people are confirmed dead from Wednesday's shooting.
The Canadian soldier shot while guarding Canada's War Memorial has reportedly died from his injuries. Furthermore, a "male suspect" is confirmed dead.
Police are reportedly searching cars leaving attempting to travel from Ottawa to Quebec and going door to door in downtown Ottawa, where schools remain on lockdown.
"At an afternoon press conference, [Royal Canadian Mounted Police] would not say whether another gunman was believed at large," CBC reports.
CBC continues:
Ottawa Civic Hospital confirmed three people were taken to hospital. Two are stable, and one has a gunshot wound. The hospital was referring calls on the status of the other victim to the Department of National Defence.
Earlier:
Downtown Ottawa buildings are on lockdown after multiple shots were reportedly fired near Parliament and at soldiers guarding Canada's War memorial on Wednesday morning.
Canadian publication rabble.careports:
A gunman shot and very seriously wounded a Canadian Forces soldier at the War Memorial in Ottawa at about 10:00 a.m. this morning, Wednesday, October 22.
According to witnesses, the gunman then hijacked a car, without harming the driver, and drove onto Parliament Hill.
There are reports that the gunman then entered the main entrance of the Centre Block of Parliament and shot repeatedly and indiscriminately.
Journalists who were on the scene at the time report that some people there were gravely injured, but there are no details as to the extent of casualties yet.
Marc Soucy of the Ottawa Police said there were "numerous gunmen" responsible for what witnesses say were dozens of shots, according toCNN.
This footage from inside the Parliament Hill building was captured by a Globe & Mail reporter on the scene at the time:
Inside Parliament in Ottawa during 2014 shootingOn October 22, 2014 a gunman opened fire at the War Memorial in Ottawa and then had a shootout with police inside Centre ...
A Canadian soldier has reportedly been struck by gunfire, and further information about this or other injuries was not immediately available.
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