For the second week in a row, one of England’s major cities has been hit by an Islamic terror attack. Following the concert attack in Manchester, terrorists drove a white van into a crowd of pedestrians in London on Saturday, killing at least seven and sending more than 50 others to the hospital.
In a statement following the attack, British Prime Minister Theresa May angrily denounced the “evil ideology of Islamist extremism” and said she would review Britain’s counterterrorism laws to make sure the nation was doing everything possible to prevent future attacks.
May’s remarks were somewhat harsher than they have been in the past, perhaps due to the fact that Brits will soon head to the polls to determine whether or not she will continue her tenure as prime minister. Citizens of the U.K. have to be wondering right now if the country is actually taking the security of its people seriously. May acknowledged that “things need to change.”
“There is far too much tolerance for extremism in our country,” she said on Sunday. “Enough is enough.”
While the prime minister appears ready to take a more Trump-like approach to the Islamists living in Britain, London’s Muslim mayor was more restrained in his comments. Mayor Sadiq Khan denounced the “deliberate and cowardly attack,” but he made no mention of Islam and some – including President Trump – found his soothing tone objectionable.
“At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is ‘no reason to be alarmed!'” Trump sneered on Twitter Sunday.
In separate tweets, Trump struck both a note of consolation and one of resolve.
“We need to be smart, vigilant, and tough,” he said after the attacks. “We need the courts to give us back our rights. We need the travel ban as an extra level of safety!”
“Whatever the United States can do to help out in London and the U.K., we will be there — WE ARE WITH YOU. GOD BLESS!” he said in another message.
On Sunday, he said, “Do you notice we are not having a gun debate right now? That’s because they used knives and a truck!”
And he warned that being overprotective of Muslim feelings was not going to solve the problem. “We must stop being politically correct and get down to the business of security for our people,” he said. “If we don’t get smart it will only get worse.”
It’s refreshing to have a voice like Trump’s in the White House at a time like this, and it’s encouraging to hear Prime Minister May take a harder line across the sea. If there is any silver lining to these Ramadan attacks, it is the hope that liberals like Khan will soon be drowned out by people who have the guts to see this crisis for what it is. Only then can we actually do something about it.
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