"You have to be kidding me?!: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan" tweeted Donald Trump Jr. The attack on Khan was repeated by Nigel Farage, among others, and shared across social media by far right Islamophobes, all while Parliament remained in lock-down. It's saddening, but also sickening, that there are people who will look to score political points and bend truths to fit their agenda at a time when there was still a very real threat to people in and around Westminster, and while people lay injured and dying on Westminster Bridge. But to be clear, these people targeted Sadiq Khan because he is Muslim and that fits in with their Islamophobes and divisive far-right agenda of marginalising a the Muslim community. If he was Christian or atheist, he wouldn't have been the target of this hatred.
If you read the article from which this (false) quote originates, Khan was speaking following the explosion in New York last September. He said that being prepared for terrorist attacks was "part of the parcel" of living in a big city - quite different from saying "terror attacks are part of living in a big city", as the son of the US President implied. But anyone who still thinks this was the London Mayor being tolerant of terror attacks, or simply accepting them as inevitable, should read Khan's full comments.
London, like other major cities, has got to be prepared for attacks, he said. "Nothing is more important to me than keeping Londoners safe." "That means being vigilant, having a police force that is in touch with communities, it means the security services being ready, but also it means exchanging ideas and best practice."
When he was elected as Mayor last May, he appointed Lord Harris to review London's terrorist attack response. At the time, he said "The terrorists are evolving their tactics and we have got to evolve our response to them all the time. I am afraid the consequences of a terror attack are very, very scary. They want to kill. They want to maim and terrify. It is my job to try to make sure that we are as safe as we can be." On the day of the attack, he said: "We must never accept terrorists being successful, we must never accept that terrorists can destroy our life or destroy the way we lead our lives".
Sadiq Khan has made a positive contribution to fighting terror in London. Zac Goldsmith's vile mayoral campaign, which looked to associate Khan with Islamic extremists, didn't fool anyone. And those spreading lies and hate by vilifying London's Mayor for their religion will not succeed in their goal of dividing the capital and the country.