"All is forgiven". So says the front page of Charlie Hebdo, the magazine which experienced tragedy last week when 12 people were killed at its offices in Paris in one of the worst terrorist attacks that France has ever seen.
Despite the tragedy of losing so many contributors, the magazine has hit back with defiance and defended it’s right to publish in a free country. Although many people will find the magazine’s content offensive, the release of the special edition has demonstrated through humour and irony that freedom of speech lives on, despite those who want to silence it.
Throughout the past week, people have been united in outrage and condemnation of the murderous extremists that shook the French capital and caused 72 hours of terror, which also saw the cold blooded murder of a policewoman and 4 victims in a Jewish supermarket.
In Parliament, I joined peers, journalists and other MPs who gathered in Westminster Hall to show our solidarity with France and our support for free speech, whilst the Prime Minister joined other world leaders in the unity march in Paris at the weekend.
But whilst we can be confident that our reactions to the attacks have shown our strength and resilience, we now need to be more vigilant than ever when it comes to protecting our own people here in the UK. Despite the incredible job that our Security Services do to keep us safe, they cannot guarantee to prevent every single terrorist plot that is planned.
That’s why more needs to be done to tackle home-grown extremism. That’s why we have toughened up the rules to strip the passports of British citizens who have expressed interest in travelling abroad to engage in terrorist activity. For those trying to return to the UK having engaged in terrorist activity, the Home Secretary now has the power to strip them of their citizenship and exclude them from the country.
For those that come to this country, we must make sure they integrate and become a valued member of our society. Immigrants have helped to build this country and we should be extremely proud of our multicultural heritage. By creating an equal society where people aren’t marginalised, we can prevent home-grown extremists.
We also need to ensure that our Security Services have the correct powers to equip them with the ability to monitor the communications of suspected terrorists. This mainly involves increasing internet surveillance and I am glad that the Prime Minister is putting this forward as a priority. It is not a snoopers charter and it is not about civil liberties; it is about keeping people safe and preventing murder on our streets.
