Radicalist terror attack in London kills seven

AP: British officials launching “terrorism investigation” into London attack that left seven dead. According to The Associated Press (AP), “British police arrested a dozen people Sunday in a widening terrorism investigation after attackers" killed seven people in London using a van and large knife. The attack, according to the AP, started “when a rented van veered off the road and barreled into pedestrians on busy London Bridge. Three men then got out of the vehicle with large knives and attacked people at bars and restaurants in nearby Borough Market until they were shot dead by police.” One witness told the AP that the suspects said “‘this for Allah’” while attacking victims. From the June 4 report:

British police arrested a dozen people Sunday in a widening terrorism investigation after attackers using a van and large knives turned a balmy evening of nightlife into a bloodbath and killed seven people in the heart of London.

[...]

The assault unfolded over a few terrifying minutes late Saturday, starting when a rented van veered off the road and barreled into pedestrians on busy London Bridge. Three men then got out of the vehicle with large knives and attacked people at bars and restaurants in nearby Borough Market until they were shot dead by police.

“They went 'This is for Allah,' and they had a woman on the floor. They were stabbing her,” witness Gerard Vowls said. [The Associated Press, 6/4/17]

Right-wing media issue Islamophobic responses to attack

The Rebel Media’s Gavin McInnes: “There is only one reason for London's terror attack: their Muslim population exceeds 10%. Terror happens in every city where this is true.”

There is only one reason for London's terror attack: their Muslim population exceeds 10%. Terror happens in every city where this is true.

— Gavin McInnes (@Gavin_McInnes) June 4, 2017

[Twitter, 6/4/17]

Tomi Lahren: “Hey liberals, this is what we are fighting against while you fight weather.”

Hey liberals, this is what we are fighting against while you fight weather. #londonbridge

— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) June 4, 2017

[Twitter, 6/3/17]

Right-wing troll Mike Cernovich: “London spends more time and money monitoring social media for ‘hate speech’ than they do terrorism. Blood is on their hands!”

London spends more time and money monitoring social media for “hate speech” than they do terrorism. Blood is on their hands! #LondonBridge

— Mike Cernovich(@Cernovich) June 3, 2017

[Twitter, 6/3/17]

Infowars’ Paul Joseph Watson: “Terrorism just ‘part and parcel of living in a big city’ Except if you live in Tokyo, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw etc etc Spot the difference.”

Terrorism just “part and parcel of living in a big city”



Except if you live in Tokyo, Prague, Budapest, Warsaw etc etc



Spot the difference

— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) June 4, 2017

[Twitter, 6/4/17]

Far-right Twitter troll Tim Treadstone: “15-20 people ran over with van & stabbing attack ongoing at London Bridge. Religion of peace?”

15-20 people ran over with van & stabbing attack ongoing at London Bridge. Religion of peace?

— Baked Alaska (@bakedalaska) June 3, 2017

[Twitter, 6/3/17]

Radio host Wayne Allyn Root: “‘RELIGION OF PEACE’ strikes again- on London Bridge. Poor UK. They let in too many Muslim immigrants. Now they are paying for it.”

“RELIGION OF PEACE” strikes again- on London Bridge. Poor UK. They let in too many Muslim immigrants. Now they are paying for it.

— Wayne Allyn Root (@WayneRoot) June 3, 2017

[Twitter, 6/3/17]

Fox News’ Todd Starnes: “You can't destroy the Muslim jihadists with candlelight vigils and benefit concerts.”

You can't destroy the Muslim jihadists with candlelight vigils and benefit concerts. https://t.co/cZCaRf2qk0

— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) June 4, 2017

[Twitter, 6/4/17]

Daily Mail’s Katie Hopkins: “Time to fight back for Britain. … Deport Imams. Close down mosques.”

Time to fight back for Britain. Incarcerate the 3,000. Deport Imams. Close down mosques. Drain the extremist swamp https://t.co/cyvUIZeH3h

— Katie Hopkins(@KTHopkins) June 4, 2017

[Twitter, 6/4/17]

Breitbart's Katie McHugh: “There would be no deadly terror attacks in the U.K. if Muslims didn’t live there.”

There would be no deadly terror attacks in the U.K. if Muslims didn’t live there. #LondonBridge

— Katie McHugh (@k_mcq) June 3, 2017

[Twitter, 6/3/17]

Fox’s Eric Bolling: “#WakeUpAmerica. Terror won't stop from harsh threats. Terror dies when the ideology dies. Time to call on Muslim leaders to denounce terror.”

#WakeUpAmerica. Terror won't stop from harsh threats. Terror dies when the ideology dies. Time to call on Muslim leaders to denounce terror.

— Eric Bolling (@ericbolling) June 5, 2017

[Twitter, 6/5/17]

Frequent Fox guest Michelle Malkin: Western societies allowing in Muslims is “suicide.” In response to the attack, frequent Fox guest Michelle Malkin claimed that letting in more Muslim refugees would be “suicide.” She added that Muslims “hate” “our values.” From the June 5 edition of Fox News’ Fox & Friends:

STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): What do you think of the president making his push once again, “we need the travel ban”? We’re extreme vetting right now, but we need the travel ban, temporary.



MICHELLE MALKIN: Yes. I'm glad to see him assert what is a historically plenary power that the president has to exclude any kind of threats to this country. And in fact, it is a power that he can invoke to exclude anyone for any reason whether it's national security or economic security. And I have to say that whatever disagreements people may have in this country about this president, the things he stands for, and the things he says, one thing has been absolutely consistent before he took office and as he has taken office. He has been singularly focused on the threat of radical Islamic terrorism. He has never wavered from it. And for that I am extremely grateful, and every patriotic American should be. It is moments like this latest attack or Manchester or the dozens of them that have occurred over the last couple of years across Europe and in our own country that are very clarifying. It shows you whether you're talking about the media or Hollywood or the Democratic leadership where people's priorities really are.

[...]

MALKIN: Ainsley, this is the fundamental misdiagnosis among progressive leftists and enablers of jihad that somehow the problem lies with our inability to accept and tolerate the vast numbers of Muslims that are coming into Western countries, not because they embrace our values but because they hate them. They're completely integrated into society. We have welcomed so many of the leaders of these al-Qaeda cells. They go to Las Vegas, and they go to strip clubs like the 9/11 hijackers did.

[...]

MALKIN: Of course we don't want them here. And in the case of the radicalization in free speech parks, in the middle of London, they're holding up their signs that say behead all those who insult Islam. They've been doing this for decades now. And as I said it is the exploitation of our western liberties and tolerance that have spelled the demise. It's Arnold Toynbee, the historian, who said that civilizations die by suicide, not by outside forces. And this is exactly what's happening. You've got people who are exploiting 21st century technology to try and drag all of us back into the stone ages. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 6/5/17]

The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro: “The Left” does not “want to face up to the challenges faced by the West in the form of Islamism.” The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro claimed that Trump was “absolutely correct” that “political correctness … prevents us from having necessary discussions about how to separate Muslims with shariah law aspirations from Muslims who believe in separation of mosque and state.” He added that “the Left” does not “want to face up to the challenges faced by the West in the form of Islamism.” From the June 5 article:

While the travel ban isn’t sufficient to protect Americans — as Andrew McCarthy points out, we’d be far better off strengthening vetting standards than imposing blanket bans from countries where most terrorists have not sprung — it isn’t unreasonable to suggest that we’ll be safer if we’re not importing unvetted Muslim immigrants from terror-rich societies. Trump is absolutely correct about political correctness, of course, which prevents us from having necessary discussions about how to separate Muslims with shariah law aspirations from Muslims who believe in separation of mosque and state. Trump’s slam against Khan may have been uncalled-for — of course Khan called for calm in London — but he’s not technically wrong that it’s hard to tell your citizens to calm down while the entire police force is on the streets. And Trump is correct about the deleterious effects of gun control on self-defense capacity — Londoners were attempting to stop knife-wielding terrorists by hurling beer mugs at them, apparently.



[...]



But the Left uses Trump's penchant for sounding off as a target because they don’t want to face up to the challenges faced by the West in the form of Islamism. That’s repulsive. It would be one thing to discuss the merits and demerits of Trump’s take on Islamism. But the media instead decided to focus on the appropriateness of Trump’s response while the bodies in London were still warm. That smacks of political opportunism. They’re more concerned with anti-Trumpism than anti-Islamism. [The Daily Wire, 6/5/17]

Frequent Fox guest Chris Plante asked after London attack, “At what point does murder become the true face of Islam?” Frequent Fox News guest and talk radio host Chris Plante criticized the notion that Islam is a religion of peace, saying that no other religion is called the religion of peace but that the Quran has “over 100 verses” that discuss violence against non-believers:

CHRIS PLANTE (HOST): Take a poll, as the Pew Research people have, take a poll of all the people of the world. They’ve done it in Muslim countries, and you ask this musical question, “Do you support suicide bombings of civilian targets in defense of“ -- and the question they ask is -- “Islam?” You find a shocking number of Muslims say, “Oh yes, oh yes, I do. I support suicide bombings of civilian targets in defense of Islam.”

[...]

Over 100 passages in the Quran, the widely accepted 1924 Cairo version of the Quran, over 100 verses calling for violence against infidels and some calling for unending war against the infidels until -- convert or die. It’s kind of old fashioned stuff.

[...]

Just one religion is called the religion of peace and its Islam. Kind of ironic, no sense of irony, these people. You know it’s crazy.

[...]

How do we, as civilized people, respond to this -- what is now a regularly occurring feature in Western civilization courtesy of radical Islam? And at what point does murder become the true face of Islam? [The Chris Plante Show, Westwood One, 6/5/17]

Radio host Michael Savage called to “intern all of them,” and suggested “World War II-style internment camps” to stop terrorism. Right-wing radio host and Trump ally Michael Savage echoed Nigel Farage’s call to establish internment camps, noting “I said the same thing a few weeks ago.” Savage also asked, “Why don’t you intern all of them before they run people over on a bridge” and “How do we know that the internment in World War II didn’t help us win the war?”:

Well, what is the answer? Well, one London politician, one politician from England said we have to put them in camps immediately, and of course CNN wouldn't go for that. British politician says suspected terrorists should be put in camps. Now that will get all of the good liberals in New York very frightened. Nigel Farage, the former UK Independence Party leader, UKIP, said “Britain has been so weak on border control and clamping down on radicalization that World War II-style internment camps may be the answer.” I said the same thing a few weeks ago.

[...]

What needs to be done to stop Islamists who are on the watchlist in America right now. We were told there were over 1,000 active cases, that was a few months ago when the FBI was run by what’s his name again, I forgot. The guy who is no longer there, I forgot his name already, Mr. Comey, Mr. Comey. He said he had 1,000 active cases, or DHS did. What does that mean, 1,000 of them are on the list, or there’s more than 1,000? Why don’t you intern all of them before they run people over on a bridge, or stab people in the street? It was done during World War II.

[...]

How do we know that the internment in World War II didn’t help us win the war? [Media Matters, 6/5/17]