London Bridge Terror Attack & The Suicide of the West

Over the weekend, a radical Islamic terrorist killed 2 people and wounded 3 in a knife rampage on the London Bridge in the UK. Usman Khan stabbed Saskia Jones and Jack Merrit while wearing a fake suicide vest and warning others he would set it off if they tried to stop him. Brave passersby on the bridge fought back with a 5-foot narwhal tusk and fire extinguisher before the police shot the terrorist dead. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, though they have yet to provide evidence Khan was officially their fighter.

The attack took place amidst a conference in London for “criminal rehabilitation,” where leaders publicly called for lighter sentences on terror and crime. In a dark irony, Khan was released early from a 16-year prison sentence prison for planning terror attacks on the London Stock exchange. His release was a result of the rehabilitation program of which both victims were staunch advocates and the London conference supported. Merrit’s family reiterated their left-wing ideology after their son had been slain, saying Jack “would not want this terrible, isolated incident to be used as a pretext by the government for introducing even more draconian sentences on prisoners, or for detaining people in prison . . .”

The political Left in the UK lauds any lenient policy toward terrorists and criminals. They believe attacks are “our fault,” not the responsibility of the attacker. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn (the leftist party in the UK) has been a massive proponent of this philosophy. There is resistance to this idea, coming from Prime Minister Boris Johnson (leader of a moderate-conservative party in the UK), who has called for stronger jail sentences for terrorists in the aftermath of the London Bridge attack.

The response from the Left after a brutal, ideological attack is really disturbing but outlines a basic narrative: Western culture is the problem. The prevailing leftist culture in the UK fundamentally does not want to be hard on terror because they believe the terrorists have a point. The global Left hates tradition, English culture and Western ideals. They see imprisoned criminals & Islamic terrorists as “oppressed” and victims of a “racist, bigoted culture.” As a result, they advocate for light sentences and leniency on very bad people, thus allowing events like the London Bridge terror attack to happen. Whether you are a conservative, libertarian or classical liberal – this ideological rot should concern you. We must save the West from our own suicide.

Photo Credit: The Sun UK.