The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Attack on Tory politician Amess calls into question British understanding of democracy

2021-10-16T12:16:05.994Z


The killing of Tory MP David Amess shakes Britain's understanding of democracy. Politicians fear for their safety, but also for direct contact with citizens.


Enlarge image

Police officer at the scene of the attack in Leigh-on-Sea

Photo: TONY O'BRIEN / REUTERS

After the fatal knife attack on Tory politician David Amess, House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle has called for a debate on the security of British politicians.

At the same time, it is "essential" that the MPs can maintain their relationship with the citizens, Hoyle told the BBC.

He therefore held his office hours after the attack on Amess.

"We have to make sure that democracy survives".

Amess' fellow party member Tobias Ellwood, known for his courageous first aid after a terrorist attack on Parliament in 2017, has called for the suspension of physical meetings between members of the public until a security review by the Home Office has been completed.

Interior Minister Priti Patel announced heightened security measures for MPs.

"Everything is being done to ensure that Members of Parliament can go about their business safely," she said.

»We live in an open society, a democracy.

We cannot be intimidated by a single person. "

Amess was stabbed to death by an attacker on Friday during a citizens' clinic in his Essex constituency.

A 25 year old man was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Investigators in Great Britain now assume a terrorist background for the deadly attack.

According to the police report, initial investigations have shown "a possible motivation in connection with Islamist extremism".

As the PA news agency reported, citing security circles, the suspect is said to be a British man of Somali origin.

The case shakes the British understanding of democracy.

British MPs, who are all directly elected in their constituencies, offer regular consultation hours with citizens, which can also be attended at short notice.

The so-called

surgeries

are usually held once a week and are an important part of democratic culture in Britain.

Labor MP Jo Cox was also murdered by a right-wing extremist during a public consultation in 2016.

The attack occurred just a few weeks before the Brexit referendum.

Attack on the "heart of the political system"

"No matter what the motive for the attack was, the murder of an MP while he was in the act hits the heart of the political system," wrote the Times.

The greatest strength of the British electoral system lies "in the relationship between the individual MPs and the voters they represent".

Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited the crime scene in the southeastern English coastal town of Leigh-on-Sea on Saturday.

TV footage showed the Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader laying a wreath at the church that was the scene of the knife attack on Amess.

He was accompanied by Opposition leader Keir Starmer from the Labor Party, who also laid a wreath.

Interior Minister Patel and Head of the House of Commons Hoyle also laid wreaths.

Amess was first elected to the British House of Commons under the "Iron Lady" Margaret Thatcher in 1983 and has not missed a legislative period since then. As early as the 1990s he made a name for himself as an opponent of EU integration and made life difficult for the then pro-European conservative Prime Minister John Major. The devout Catholic was also a prominent anti-abortionist and spoke out in favor of reintroducing the death penalty.

In the House of Commons, Amess enjoyed general respect for his kindness as well as his tenacity. "He was like a terrier," says his longtime friend and colleague in Parliament, Roger Gale, on Sky News television. "If he has dogged himself into something for a voter, he has not given up." Prime Minister Boris Johnson calls him "one of the friendliest, nicest and most docile people in politics."

Unlike many of his conservative party friends, Amess did not come from a wealthy family, nor did he attend a private school or elite university.

Raised in modest circumstances in a suburb of London, Amess first earned his living as a teacher and personnel consultant before he worked his way up from local politician to MP.

He has five children with his wife Julia, who was also his assistant.

With a standard to the accolade

The avowed animal lover was an outspoken opponent of the fox hunting popular in conservative circles.

He campaigned for Iranians in exile, fought against drugs and got involved with disabled children.

Johnson honored him for his educational work on endometriosis, a painful chronic disease in women.

At the same time, Amess had a preference for dazzling appearances.

When he was knighted in 2015, he wore medieval armor and a standard on a horse to celebrate the day.

In his book Ayes & Ears: A Survivor's Guide to Westminster, published last year, Amess pointed out that the murder of Cox led to new security guidelines for MPs that threatened to restrict their access to the electorate.

"I have been harassed by one or two members of the public in my own house over the years," wrote Amess.

"These rampant attacks have tainted the great British tradition of people being open about their elected politicians."

dab / dpa / Reuters / AFP

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2021-10-16

You may like

News/Politics 2024-02-16T13:19:57.568Z
News/Politics 2024-03-02T12:14:23.377Z
News/Politics 2024-02-16T18:12:11.432Z

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.