'Deeply shocking' Families of murdered MPs voice concern over rise in violent rhetoric

The families of the murdered MPs David Amess and Jo Cox have voiced concern about a recent surge in violent political rhetoric in Britain.

- Ben Quinn

While the fatal attack on a synagogue in Manchester and the targeting of Muslims have placed a renewed spotlight on violent antisemitism and Islamophobia, there are also concerns over an increasing normalisation of language calling for political figures to be killed.

Examples include the suspension of a Reform UK councillor linked to a social media account calling for Keir Starmer to be shot and the arrest of a man allegedly captured on film at major far-right rally last month in London threatening to kill the prime minister. At the same rally, Elon Musk made comments that later drew condemnation from Downing Street when he told the crowd that “violence is coming”.

The language comes after a summer of anti-immigration protests, culture war flashpoints and a surge in podcasts and YouTube videos predicting civil war.

Speaking this week ahead of the fourth anniversary of her father’s death, Katie Amess said the murder of the rightwing US activist Charlie Kirk had been a triggering moment for her family but should also come as a wake-up call in the UK.