Appalling News

I agree with you Gillybob "what the hell is this country coming to?" I feel deeply affected by this news and this now dead poor young man,I just can't get it out of my mind. I can't imagine how awful it must be for his poor family. My younger son has done a few sponsored runs for "Help the Heroes" through a school friend of his who joined the army and I shuddered when I saw his t shirt lying around his bedroom with that slogan on it. Deeply sickening, particularly the assailants' chant of "god is great". Clearly their version of god is the complete opposite.

It is beyond shocking, it's utterly horrific. We were told last week that all the gang rapes of white girls had no racist element to them. It might be a little more difficult to deny this time. I feel sorry for the wider Muslim community who must have felt as much shock and disgust but we have to recognise that we have people living in this country who despise us and our values.

I just feel so sorry for this soldiers family such a waste of a life and probably after he has served a traumatic tour of duty at some time his family would have been feeling less pressure now he was back in UK for this terrible thing to happen.
GA give my thoughts and love to your DD ((hugs)) for you.

Utterly horrified - there are no words, really, that are appropriate. This will feed the likes of UKIP and EDL.

I know the Muslim Council of GB has come out in deep condemnation of the murder, but the truth is, these hate crimes by small minorities will reflect badly on the peaceful majority of Muslims.

I have two sons who have served in the army - one is still in the Australian Army Reserves, so I take it personally.

I do believe the perpetrators are seriously psychotic - they are mentally deranged; warped religion has brought them to this.

Of course we don't know yet whether the murderers were acting alone or whether they were part of a terrorist group. As you say Sel most of us know the wider Muslim culture will find this latest incident as abhorrent as we all do. There are times lately with all the negative publicity surrounding gang rapes of the white girls, problems on university campus where radical Muslims have tried to introduce segregation of the sexes, we are experiencing an ever increasing culture clash, it won't go away by sweeping it under the carpet.

I was just listening to a Moslem woman on the radio who did lay the blame at the teachings of her faith. Interestingly, she said Islam, which is a compassionate faith, does teach that the loss of anyone of the same faith, wherever they are in the world, diminishes all Moslems. She said the leaders here need to address that. I guess it explains why people born and brought up here can attempt to justify their actions on what the British are doing in other countries. Sorry, I don't think I'm explaining very well what she said.

And yes Joan this will feed the EDL who were out in force yesterday.

Such bravery though from some local people. I wouldn't have had their courage.

I hope this poor boy's family can take a little comfort that people did try and help.

Absolutely horrendous. I agree that the news should not be dumbed down but we are also playing into the terrorists hands by broadcasting all that has happened. It, to me is a catch 22 situation.
My thoughts for his poor family.

I was surprised how long it took for the police or the army to arrive, as it took place outside a barracks.

The video was so strange with people wandering past as if nothing had happened with the murderer blood soaked with 2 meat cleavers. We have family in the services and it makes my blood run cold.

PS I thought it was the Taliban killing their brothers and sisters in Afghanistan!

Lully I think the delay was because it was an armed response unit.

Have heard on the news that guards on a military base are not allowed to go outside as they have to guard the base primarily. I still think no police presence for so long was not acceptable, armed or not!

LullyDully the Metropolitan Police say police officers arrived within nine minutes of the first 999 call and armed officers were there within 14 minutes.

I don't think it has anything to do with who we let over our borders. I think we should have stayed out of other people's wars.There were no weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein was terrible, but more people are dying in Iraq now. 700 last month. Women and children amongst them. Drones kill people.

I wish they would target the politicians who got us into all this. Not the soldiers.

The unarmed police were there quickly but "couldn't'" act until the armed ones arrived. They just left it to women on the scene to do what they could.

I find these "we will stand together" statements sickening. No David Cameron. You will have security and a police bodyguard.

This is a good article about what drives Islamist extremists, from the Guardian.

I agree with the comment on that article: "it all seems such a coincidence that we are bombing their children and they hate us for it".

One of the murderer's rants after committing his horrific act was about our soldiers killing innocent civilians and this horrible attack was a justifiable reprisal. Many of us were very opposed to us going to war in Iraq, I know I was. I don't think we should be involved in other countries conflicts because inevitably we will be accused of interfering and lets face it America, who interfere all over the place, have never learnt from our mistakes when we were an imperialistic power. Nevertheless, more Muslims are killed by other Muslims I don't think I have ever heard any criticism, other than by non Muslims of some of the atrocities committed in Darfur for example. It's strange that whenever radicals refer to their brothers being slain they are fairly selective about which atrocities they refer to.

I'm very uncomfortable about the news coverage I've seen so far.

What I thought was amazing that 'the Help for Heroes' website crashed with people wanting to donate. One way of showing support for the victim of this dreadful crime.

I hope the footage of the terrorist with Lee Rigby's blood on his hands is not shown again. His poor family have enough to deal with.

I agree, whenim but I'm glad it was shown last night as I'm full of admiration for the woman who had the courage to confront him.

This is a horrific crime. It will be made even worse if it creates greater divide in communities in the country and allows other extremists a stronger foothold.

The soldier's family need all the support and kindness that is possible at such an appallingly sad time.

The issue of Shia Muslims killing Sunni Muslims & vice versa is a sad fact, like Catholic/Protestant Christians..but does not make the deaths of innocent Muslim people as a result of a foreign (US/British) war any less awful. We should not have gone to a phony war then we would not have lost so many young British men.

Those hurting most will include the many thousands of peaceful Muslims, worrying about reprisals.

I think those hurting most will be the families of service personnel afraid for their loved ones.

RIP Drummer Lee Rigby. Thoughts and prayers with your family and all the emergency services who attended, I know that they will never wipe the images from their minds.

Also those members of the public who showed such courage in the face of such horror.
God bless and keep you all.

Hats off to Gemini Donnelly-Martin and her courageous mother, Amanda, who knelt by the dead man to prevent him from being further attacked and to pray for him. Also to Cub Scout leader Ingrid Loyau-Kennett who spoke to the killers in order to deflect them from committing further harm. What extraordinary courage.