Families of terror victims ‘stand together’ against hatred in new film

Family members of terror victims including Lee Rigby and Jo Cox have united for a campaign in defiance against those responsible for the likes of the London and Manchester attacks.

Michael Haines, brother of slain aid worker David Haines, and Colin Parry, whose 12-year-old son Tim was killed by the IRA in 1993, are also among those to have filmed messages of hope and condemnation for the #WeStandTogether campaign.

In the film, Brendan Cox (pictured), widower of MP Jo, speaks directly to those who seek to exploit murder to sow further division with the message: “Don’t you dare use our grief to peddle your hatred.”

Lyn Rigby, whose serviceman son was killed in Woolwich four years ago in a crime that sent shockwaves across the world, said: “We stand together to show them we’re not afraid.”

Mr Haines, who has campaigned for peace since his younger brother David was beheaded in Syria by so-called Islamic State in 2014, said: “There are parts of our community who want to use my brother’s death to promote their ideology.

“Terrorists want us to carry on the hatred.”

Mr Parry called for an end to the cycle of violence. He said: “Action gets a reaction and it perpetuates the problem.”

The film, released on Wednesday morning, is part of the #WeStandTogether campaign by The Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation For Peace.

In it, each of the survivors speaks about their personal, individual choices to break the cycle of violence by publicly denouncing attempts by the far right and others to exploit their loss and grief.

The film will be published on social media.

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