The man accused of shooting and stabbing British MP Jo Cox to death in a brutal street attack has ranted against “traitors” during a brief court appearance.
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He said: “She was a politician and she had very strong political views and I believe was she killed because of those views”.
Although he was not charged with a terrorism offense, Mair will be tried at the Old Bailey, London’s central criminal court, under the “terrorism protocol”, meaning his case will be managed by some of the most senior judges in the country.
Mair was ordered detained until his next hearing on Thursday.
It has always been a tradition in Britain for lawmakers to hold regular “surgeries” in which they discuss local, national and worldwide issues with residents of their district.
Police have praised the bravery of a 77-year-old man who tried to aid Cox during the attack and was seriously injured.
Cox was killed as she attended a meeting in the town of Birstall, northern England, in the first murder of a United Kingdom lawmaker in a quarter of a century.
Brendan Cox said the public reaction to her death had been “off the scale” and had made a “really important contribution” to the healing process for the couple’s two children.
Yesterday Mr Cox and his children watched from the public gallery as MPs paid tribute to their colleague in an emotional session in the Commons.
Days before her death, Ms Cox wrote an article passionately imploring voters to vote against leaving the EU.
Whiteford said the last time she saw the Labour MP was at the annual Westminster charity tug-of-war contest and says she saw her pulling with “sheer dogged determination” and says she wants to remember Cox for “how she lived and not how she died”.
“Women MPs seem to suffer more from these people who spend their life sitting at their keyboards intimidating people and that is not acceptable”, the MP said.
“She anxious about the tone of the debate… the tone of whipping up fears and whipping up hatred potentially”, Brendan said.
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“Cox’s killing has sparked calls to examine security arrangements for MPs, and growing concern over the harsh edge appearing in British politics as the European Union referendum debate has gone on”, as Peter reports. “Jo’s life was a demonstration against despair, and in her tragic death we can come together to change our politics to tolerate a little more and condemn a little less”.
