Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the Prime Minister for his words. All of us in this place condemn this horrific attack and its perpetrator. We all offer whatever comfort and sympathy we can to the injured and the frightened. We send our condolences to a family mourning the loss of a loved one. And we should all be clear—very clear—about one thing: this attack was not revenge, it was not retribution; this was terrorism, this was violence aimed at the innocent, designed to spread fear and incite hatred. Despite the injuries it inflicted and the pain it caused, the attack failed. It failed because of the people of London and Britain, whose resilience, sadly, has been tried far too often in recent days and weeks. It failed because the people of London and Britain are bigger, are braver, are better than the extremists who seek to test them and divide them.

So far as we know, everyone injured in this attack was a Muslim, but every one of them was also an ordinary British citizen. Every one of them was a person of faith on their way home from evening prayers, standing outside the Muslim Welfare House, which, along with Finsbury Park Mosque, had helped to lead local commemorations to mark the one-year anniversary of MP Jo Cox's death at a moving ceremony 48 hours before an assuming hire van rammed the innocent crowd. The general secretary of the Finsbury Park Mosque said:

Both extremists do not represent us, do not represent our communities, do not represent our faiths. They are tiny minority, a bunch of murderers who only represent hatred, division and racism.

In the aftermath, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said it well:

… Muslims will today be fasting and tonight praying and thinking once again of the heroic actions taken by our emergency services and ordinary bystanders.

For Australians, Finsbury Park is perhaps best known for being the home of the Arsenal Football Club. On match days, the streets and, indeed, the pubs are chock-a-block with boisterous fans on the way to Emirates Stadium. Many of them, young and old, wear jerseys with the No. 11. It is for Mesut Ozil. Mesut Ozil, for those of you who do not follow the English Premier League, is a practising Muslim. He is a German national champion of Turkish descent. He is a creative playmaker for Arsenal, one of a growing number of Muslim players making their mark in the Premier League. In January this year, against Burnley, he and teammate Shkodran Mustafi both paused to pray before kick-off. In July, next month, he will be on a plane coming to Australia, where Arsenal will play friendly games against Sydney FC and Western Sydney Wanderers, and he is most welcome, as are the rest of his team. And when the new season starts off in August, I have no doubt that Arsenal fans of all faiths and none will be back at the stadium. They will be singing and chanting, strolling the streets. They are more interested in seeing their team than in worrying about the terrorists.

Tonight I am sure the worshippers at Finsbury Park will return to their prayers, because this is what democracies are about. Despite all of our arguments, it is what free peoples and free nations do in the face of fear. We do not hide. We do not change. We do not vilify classes of minorities. We live our lives. We carry on. We are proud of our own skin and we see no need to change. We keep the faith in our life, and our values will overcome all of the adversities.

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