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Home Secretary statement on the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby

Home Secretary Theresa May issues a statement after Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale were found guilty of the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby.

This was published under the 2010 to 2015 Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government

Home Secretary Theresa May said:

The sickening and barbaric murder of Drummer Lee Rigby united the entire nation in condemnation and I welcome the jury’s decision. But we must not forget that this appalling and public act of violence and terror also robbed his family and loved ones of a brave, young man with his life ahead of him. My thoughts are with them at this difficult time.

Violence and extremism of any kind have absolutely no place in our society and cannot be justified. In the wake of Lee Rigby’s murder, the Prime Minister set up the Extremism Task Force which recently announced new measures to tackle extremism and radicalism across the UK.

We have some of the toughest counter-terrorism laws in the democratic world and we are resolute in our determination to counter the threats to our way of life posed by extremist behaviour and ideologies.

Published 19 December 2013