We can no longer pretend the threat at our doorstep is an abstract talking point. On October 2 a jihadist struck outside a synagogue in Manchester, killing worshippers and declaring allegiance to ISIS in the moments around the attack — a brutal reminder that Islamist extremism is not some distant problem but a direct assault on our streets and on Jews celebrating their holiest day. The facts are stark and disturbing: this was terrorism, and Britain’s complacency on radicalization must be called out.
Police and investigators moved quickly, but the chaotic scene and subsequent arrests have exposed a deeper breakdown in prevention and community safety. Multiple people have been detained as inquiries probe whether the attacker acted alone or as part of a wider network, and questions are rightly being asked about missed warning signs before the carnage. If we refuse to confront uncomfortable failures in intelligence, policing, and integration, more communities will pay the price.
At the same time, the fight for free speech in Britain is wobbling under political pressure and selective enforcement. A recent Court of Appeal decision overturned a conviction for a man who burned a Qur’an, with judges warning that free expression includes the right to offend and shock — an uncomfortable ruling for those who want speech policed instead of debated. Conservatives should welcome clarity: you do not protect liberty by criminalizing ideas, but by confronting and defeating extremism with facts, not silence.
All of this unfolds against a backdrop of uncontrolled migration and political bewilderment about borders. Net migration surged to unprecedented levels in the year ending June 2023, and while figures dipped afterward, the sheer scale has strained community cohesion and placed enormous pressure on integration systems that should spot radicalization early. Ministers are finally admitting what voters have been saying for years: the public expects secure borders and enforced immigration that protects both citizens and newcomers.
The culture that treats honest questions about Islamist radicalization as taboo has been weaponized by elites who fear being called racist more than they fear the next attack. When concerns about grooming gangs, extremist preachers, or segregated neighborhoods are shut down as verboten, politicians and bureaucrats cede ground to bad actors who exploit those silences. Political courage means naming the problem accurately — Islamist ideology breeds violence and must be countered while respecting law-abiding Muslims who love their country.
Britain’s media and institutions must stop performing moral equivalence between a faith practiced by millions and the murderous ideology of a violent few. The BBC and the metropolitan commentariat have too often preferred a narrative that comforts themselves rather than confronts reality, leaving ordinary citizens to shoulder the consequences. Conservatives should demand accountable journalism and a public square where facts are aired and policies scrutinized, not muffled for fear of offense.
The answer is not scapegoating entire communities; it is restoring the institutions that bind a nation together: secure borders, robust policing, vigorous counterterrorism, and an education system that teaches civic duty and national identity. We must enforce the law fairly, deport those who pose threats, and insist on integration standards that include language, work, and allegiance to liberal democratic norms. A free society protects both liberty and security; you cannot have one without the other.
Hardworking British families deserve leaders who will say difficult things and take tough action. If Britain is to reverse this downward drift, it will take a political class willing to put safety and free speech ahead of fashionable sensitivities. Americans watching should take note: complacency at home matters, and the choice between liberty and surrender is already being decided in cities across the West.
