People and skills

Nation marks the first national day for victims and survivors of terrorism

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Floral tribute for the Manchester Arena victims at Manchester Victoria Station. Image credit: David Dixon via Wikimedia Commons, licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.
Floral tribute for the Manchester Arena victims at Manchester Victoria Station. Image credit: David Dixon via Wikimedia Commons, licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

Having committed last year to honour the victims and survivors of terrorism with a day of remembrance, today marks the first formal recognition to raise greater public awareness of the lasting impact of terrorism.

At a ceremony taking place in London today, a two minute silence will focus on remembering and recognising those impacted by terrorism. It is all part of a wider push to support victims and survivors to get access to the help they need to rebuild their lives, and amplify their stories.

The Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, who was mayor of Greater Manchester at the time of the Manchester Arena terrorist attacks in 2017, said: I am proud that we now have a national day to honour victims and survivors of terrorism.” He recognised that despite the passing of time, most people go back to their lives “but for those who lived through the trauma, there is no return to normality.”

He added: “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.”

Travis Frain survived the Westminster Bridge terror attack which also took place in 2017. He has long campaigned for this day and said: “This should be a date when we come together as a country to remember those affected by terrorism and set our sights to the future, to understand how we can all play our part in preventing further radicalisation and defeating the spread of violent extremism.”

Earlier this year the government launched a new Support Hub for victims and survivors of terrorism which provides specialist, trauma-informed support for anyone affected by a terrorist incident, ensuring victims can access the help they need at any stage of their recovery.

Read more background here – New annual national day to honour victims and survivors of terrorism.

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Catherine Levin

Catherine writes and commissions content from across the emergency services as well as interviewing senior leaders. She also hosts our webinar series exploring timely topics with a range of speakers.

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