British Chief Rabbi Calls For Tolerance After London Terror Attack
(JTA) — British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis called on Britons to remain committed to the values of peace and tolerance in the wake of a terror attack in London that left at least 7 people dead.
A white van rammed into pedestrians on London Bridge on Saturday night then began stabbing the bystanders on the bridge and in Borough Market near the bridge. The attackers were shot and killed by police.
“In the wake of yet another attack, of more loss of life and of more families devastated by terror, every one of us will once again feel the now too familiar sense of horror and helplessness,” Mirvis said in a statement.
London Metropolitan Police have labeled the van and knife attacks as “terrorist incidents.” Eyewitnesses told the BBC that the stabbers shouted “This is for Allah” as they attacked.
The head of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Gillian Merron, in a statement condemned the attack. “People of all faiths and none must come together to defeat this evil,” she said.
It is the third terror attack in the United Kingdom in three months. In March, a car ramming and knife attack in Westminster left five people dead, and two weeks ago a bombing outside of an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester killed 22 people, including young fans.