London Mayor Ken Livingstone called on Britons yesterday not to demonize Muslims after a double car bomb plot was foiled in the capital, amid fears of an Islamist terror threat. “In this city, Muslims are more likely to be law-abiding than non-Muslims and less likely to support the use of violence to achieve political ends than non-Muslims,” he told BBC Radio. “They have played a good and active and growing role in creating a multi-cultural society,” he added.
Ken Livingstone noted that terrorist acts had been carried out in London over the years by various groups including for example far-right groups. For years the British capital was wracked by violence by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). “All I am interested in as mayor is that we try to prevent all acts of violence whether it is by a disaffected young member of the (far-right) BNP (British National Party), whether it is by an Islamist…,” AFP quoted him as saying. It was crucial to understand that “that doesn’t mean that all white men are potentially a threat to society any more than all Muslims are,” he added.
