Terrorism isn’t something that just occurs in Boston, New York, Kabul or other parts of the world.
British Columbians learned Tuesday of an alleged plot to blow up the stately Legislature buildings in Victoria. Two Surrey residents have been arrested and face numerous charges.
It may never be known why Victoria, better known for being more British than the British, was a target, except that the Legislature is high profile and a strike there could possibly be seen as undermining democratic tradition.
By targeting Canada Day, a time when the Legislature is crowded, the goal was to maximize the destruction.
This incident shows all of us that we aren’t isolated from global extremism. There are those who remain fundamentally opposed to who we are as a society.
“These individuals were inspired by Al-Qaeda ideology,” said James Malitzia, RCMP assistant commissioner.
But while it would be easy to give into fear, and that is exactly what terrorists want us to do, all of us must stand together.
“We cannot let this change who we are. We will not let them win,” said a defiant Premier Christy Clark in front of the Legislature Tuesday.
Remain strong behind our civil liberties and democratic ideals. Respect cultural and religious diversity and remember that extremists are a minority and do not represent the majority of any one group. Tolerance is key to fighting terrorism.
We must give credit to the RCMP and our intelligence forces for ensuring this plot did not spiral into a tragedy.
All of us, even in the North Okanagan, must be vigilant about potential risks, but, most importantly, we must continue to be who we are. As Clark stated, “We will not let them win.”
—The Morning Star
