UK to hold first national day for victims and survivors of terrorism
It's hoped the national day of reflection will also help raise awareness of how to prevent future attacks
Last updated 4 hours ago
The first ever UK national day for victims and survivors of terrorism is being held today.
It's hoped it'll ensure those affected are remembered but also raise awareness among the public about helping to prevent such atrocities in future.
Friday marks the inaugural National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism – a date chosen to coincide with the United Nations International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism.
It was confirmed last year, after public consultation, that a national day would be held to remember victims and survivors, taking place in a different place in the UK each year to recognise the widespread impact of terrorism around the country.
The day is expected to focus on recognising those affected by terror acts, encouraging survivors to access specialist support, spotlighting their stories and educating the public.
This year’s commemorations come following two terrorist attacks in the past twelve months at Heaton Park Synagogue and Golders Green, and ahead of the 10th anniversaries of five terrorist attacks in 2017.
Travis Frain, who was aged 19 when he was injured in the Westminster Bridge attack in 2017, had campaigned for a national day.
Mr Frain, now aged 28 and from Darwen in Lancashire, was hit by a car driven by Khalid Masood in the heart of London that day, having been on a university trip to the capital.
The attack led to four pedestrians being killed and a police officer being stabbed to death outside Parliament.
Mr Frain went on to launch the Resilience in Unity organisation to give a voice to victims as well as educate the wider public, changing course from his earlier life plan to be a history teacher.
He's said: “It absolutely has had a lifelong impact on me in the sense that I realised pretty soon after the attack that I couldn’t just put my head down and pretend that it hadn’t affected me, and I had to learn from what had happened and try and find some kind of positive, and some kind of meaning, if that’s even possible, from such a horrific incident.”
He was named on the New Year Honours list in 2023 for services to counter-extremism and to victims of terrorism.
He said the national day will help “ensure that we don’t forget the people we’ve lost to terrorism and the people who have survived; that we don’t forget what has happened to them; that we recognise that actually they were not targeted as individuals – they were targeted as representatives of something far bigger, of the values that we all hold, of the nation that we live in”.
But he said it will also be a chance to focus the public’s minds on how to spot signs of radicalisation and potentially help prevent future attacks.
He added: “I think that it’s important that we ensure that, going forward, the public are more aware of what it is that actually they can do to prevent these attacks from occurring in the first place, and whether that might be listening to the voice of victims, ensuring that they know how to support someone who’s been affected by any form of trauma, but certainly by terrorism and violence.
“But also actually knowing how to spot the signs of radicalisation and what to do about it, and how to support someone who might be at risk of being drawn into one of these violent extremist groups.”
Travis also said: “Counter-terrorism shouldn’t just be about the sort of guns blazing stuff that we see on the TV. Of course, unfortunately, there’s a role for that when someone progresses too far down that radicalisation journey.
“But, ultimately, I really do think prevention starts at home. And if we were looking out for one another, if we were a bit more proactive in the way in which we address these issues, then perhaps we can prevent these attacks before arrests need to be made. ”
People are being encouraged by Government to mark the day how they wish, from lighting candles in remembrance, to visiting local memorials, donating to a charity that supports victims, survivors and bereaved families affected by terrorism or planting a tree or flower “as a symbol of hope and resilience”.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “I am proud that we now have a national day to honour victims and survivors of terrorism.
“There is something remarkable about how we come together as a country in those darkest moments. As time passes, most people go back to their lives, but for those who lived through the trauma, there is no return to normality.
“Today matters because it says you are not alone. You have not been forgotten. This is a moment to remember the loved ones lost and anyone who has survived the very worst of humanity.”