Today politicians and ordinary folk laid flowers and wreaths for a murdered member of the British Parliament under the statue of a local historic figure, the discoverer of Oxygen, Joseph Priestly (1773-1804).
One of the very first reports on the shocking news story gives some background to the strange murder.
The Labour MP Jo Cox has died after being shot and stabbed multiple times following a constituency meeting. Armed officers responded to the attack near a library in Birstall, West Yorkshire, on Thursday afternoon. A 52-year-old man was arrested in the area, police confirmed. The suspect was named locally as Tommy Mair.
Police added that Cox, 41, the MP for Batley and Spen, had suffered serious injuries and was pronounced dead at 1.48pm on Thursday by a doctor with paramedics at the scene.
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| Arrest of suspect |
Police confirmed that a man in his late 40s to early 50s nearby suffered slight injuries in the incident. They are also investigating
reports that the suspect shouted “Britain first”, a possible reference to the far-right political party of that name, as he launched the attack.
Police are understood to be talking to at least one witness who claimed to have heard the attacker shout the words, and the motivation for the incident will form part of their inquiry.
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| "She was a breath of fresh air" |
WHO WAS JO COX?
Ms Cox was born in Batley, West Yorkshire, grew up in Heckmondwike and studied at Cambridge University, graduating in 1995.
The 41-year-old was married with two young children, and it would have been her 42nd birthday next Wednesday.
She lived with her family on a converted barge, moored near London's Tower Bridge.
Prior to entering politics she was head of policy for the charity Oxfam for ten years, which described her as a "passionate advocate on humanitarian issues". She travelled throughout war torn areas as an aid worker, including in Afghanistan and Darfur.
She was also an adviser to Sarah Brown and Baroness Kinnock at the European Parliament in Brussels, and advisor for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2014-2015) and to anti-slavery campaign group The Freedom Fund.
In 2008 she worked in North Carolina for US President Barack Obama’s election campaign, where Hilary Clinton was thrashed.
Last October,
she launched the All Party Parliamentary Friends of Syria group, becoming its chair.
In the same month,
she co-authored an article in The Observer with the Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell, arguing that British military forces could help to achieve an ethical solution to the conflict in Syria.
She abstained in the Commons vote last autumn on allowing British military action in Syria, insisting that any solution to the conflict needed to be more wide-ranging.
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| With Cameron in Darfur pre-election |
Speaking to the Yorkshire Post last December, Ms Cox said that after a happy childhood, going to Cambridge University had unsettled her.
"I never really grew up being political or Labour.
"It kind of came at Cambridge where it was just a realisation that where you were born mattered.
"That how you spoke mattered... who you knew mattered.
"I didn’t really speak right or knew the right people...
"To be honest my experience at Cambridge really knocked me for about five years."
Ultimately, though, it proved useful.
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| Tommy Mair - suspect/scapegoat/patsy? |
THE SUSPECT
Jo Cox Killing Suspect 'Not A Violent Man'
Friday, 17th June 2016 09:48
The brother of the suspect held over the deadly attack on Labour MP Jo Cox was "not a violent man", according to his brother.
Neighbours of Tommy Mair have also expressed shock following the arrest of the 52-year-old near his home in Birstall, West Yorkshire, describing him as a "loner" who "kept himself to himself".
Police have been searching his home not far from where the mother of two young children was stabbed and shot several times.
Scott Mair, 50, has told reporters his brother had a "history of mental illness, but he has had help".
He told the Sun newspaper: "We are struggling to believe what has happened. My brother is not a violent man and is not that political.
"We don't even know who he votes for. I am visibly shaken at this news. I am so sorry for the MP and her family."
The alleged gunman is reported to have shouted "Britain first" or "put Britain first" during the attack.
Mair's half-brother, Duane St Louis, 41, told the Sun:
"He's never expressed any views about Britain, or politics or racist tendencies.
"I'm mixed race and I'm his half-brother, we got on well."
The Britain First group said it in a statement it "obviously is NOT involved and would never encourage behaviour of this sort".
Back in 2010, a Thomas Mair, then aged 46, was quoted in his local paper talking about his mental health issues.
After being a patient of the Mirfield-based Pathways Day Centre for adults with mental illness, he had volunteered at Oakwell Hall country park in Birstall, according to a Huddersfield Examiner report at the time.
He told the paper: "I can honestly say it has done me more good than all the psychotherapy and medication in the world.
Neighbours said Mair had lived at the property for more than 30 years, much of it on his own following the death of his grandmother.
David Pickles said: "He's lived there longer than me and I've lived here since 1975. I still can't believe it. He's the last guy I would have thought of.
"He's just quiet. He kept himself to himself. He lived by himself. He's been on his own for about 20 years.
"I can't say a wrong word about him, he was so quiet. It's come as a shock to everybody."
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| Extremists vote Brexit? |
SYRIA
Writing For The Times on 25th May 2016, Jo Cox said…
I am a huge President Obama fan.
I worked on his first campaign in North Carolina in 2008, I admire the leadership he has shown on everything from the financial crisis to climate change and the good advice he gave us recently on Europe.
But on Syria both President Obama and the prime minister have been a huge disappointment. Both men made the biggest misjudgment of their time in office when they put Syria on the “too difficult” pile and instead of engaging fully, withdrew and put their faith in a policy of containment.
This judgment – made by both leaders for different reasons – will be judged harshly by history. And the failure of their strategy has had huge repercussions: the biggest refugee crisis in Europe in a generation, the emergence of Isis and all that has followed, the strengthening of a resurgent Russia and most importantly the human suffering that continues unabated for the people of Syria. It’s been nothing short of a foreign policy disaster.
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UPDATE
Interesting article which clearly
contradicts the timeline of the above incident. It's shaping up to be some kind of False Flag event...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3646807/Last-words-MP-Jo-Cox-assistant-revealed.html
Aanirfan Blog pics up on the
conspiracy angle....
http://aanirfan.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/mysterious-death-of-jo-cox-mp.html
More
contradictions here...
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/16/jo-cox-attack-people-screamed-brought-towels-a-77-year-old-tried-to-help-in-the-end-they-laid-floral-tributes
