He said nothing when asked his address and date of birth.
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He was remanded in custody until his next appearance on Monday at the higher Old Bailey court in London, England’s central criminal court, and a psychiatric report has been requested.
Worshipers paid tribute to the 41-year-old Labour MP Sunday in a service at St. Peter’s Church in Birstall, the northern English village where she was shot and stabbed Thursday – the first killing of a sitting British lawmaker since 1990. The man was arrested as Cox lay dying on the sidewalk.
The killing has muted the tone of public discussions over the referendum, which has focused heavily on immigration. “Freedom for Britain”, according to BuzzFeed News. Left-wing lawmakers like Cox, who was outspoken in supporting immigrants’ rights and staying in the European Union, faced social media threats from British nationalists. Some low-level campaigning, including the distribution of leaflets, has returned and the “leave” campaign re-activated its Twitter account Saturday.
Dee Collins, West Yorkshire’s police chief, said police were “keeping an open mind” over the suspect’s motivation for the attack, but that Mair’s connection to right wing extremism and “mental heath services” were a “priority line of inquiry”.
Mair’s statement in court may reinforce the impression that he is mentally ill.
A 77-year-old man who intervened to try to protect Cox remains in hospital in a stable condition after suffering a serious injury to his abdomen.
“We want to say the most honest and heartfelt thank you to everyone who has expressed their love and affection for her and sent their thoughts and sympathies to us”. “The defendant continued to stab Mrs Cox as she lay fighting for her life”.
“Parliament needs to look very carefully at how it protects its MPs in their constituencies in a world that has changed”, said Charlotte Leslie, a lawmaker in the ruling Conservative Party who had hate messages spray-painted on her vehicle previous year.
Details have begun to emerge about Mair’s interests in white supremacist and pro-apartheid groups, authorities said.
The emotional response to Cox’s death, and the halt in campaigning, has shifted the public focus away from the debate over immigration and economics that had characterized media coverage of the referendum.
Prime Minister David Cameron, opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and lawmakers from all parties praised 41-year-old Cox as a woman who fought hard for causes from women’s rights to refugees.
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US President Barack Obama spoke to Cox’s husband Brendan by phone from Air Force One on Friday and offered his condolences on behalf of the American people, the White House said in a statement.
