A heartbreaking video shows thousands of youngsters singing 'One Last Time' with Ariana Grande just moments before the blast at Manchester Arena. Facebook / Anushka Moore
Opinion
Politicians in Britain have been quick to call the attack on Manchester arena an act of cowardice.
And that's what they always do. Terrorists are cowards, they say. But are they? Their twisted, radicalised minds believe that once they die, they'll become martyrs.
It's something that all of us find impossible to fathom. It's the work of a morally corrupt and disturbing mind. Imagine. You strap a device to your body, you get ready to detonate it, you're looking at all of the people around you, in this case it's children, and you know in a few seconds you'll be dead and unrecognisable, and so will countless others around you. You can't imagine, can you?
I don't believe that's an act of cowardice. It's an utterly terrifying and fearless act of self-destruction fuelled by a desire to kill as many as possible, and all in the name of spreading this warped, brutal and extremist ideology. It is many things, but it is not an act of cowardice.
That it targeted children is chilling. It changes the nature of the terrorism. It changes the way we challenge terrorism, I think.
Londoners, in the wake of the July 7th bombings insisted the attacks would not stop them living their lives as they wished. They still used the underground, they still jumped on buses, life went on.
And on social media overnight, there are thousands of posts from people saying this won't stop them living as they wish, either. But i'm not sure that's the case because this time it targeted the innocents. The most vulnerable in society. It targeted children.
It targeted children who were probably yet to form a political opinion on anything. Children who held no bias or judgement on issues surrounding race, religion or ethnicity. And suddenly, as a parent, you're faced with a very difficult situation.
How do you encourage your child to live the life they want to, yet also protect them from an atrocity like this.
Put yourself in the shoes of a parent in Britain right now. Could you stand in the doorway and wave your child off to a concert, and tell them to have a fabulous night? Could you drop your child off at a venue, or wait outside to pick them up, and do so without an ounce of concern?
You'll remember the scenes from Manchester. Desperate parents searching for their children. Mothers in tears talking to CNN and the BBC, desperate for news of their child. All I can see at the moment is the image of Saffie, the little eight-year-old girl who died in the blast. She's 8. That's the same age as Finn. Eight, for goodness sake.
Image 1 of 14: Armed police work at Manchester Arena after reports of an explosion at the venue during an Ariana Grande gig in Manchester. Photo / AP
And so every part of your being would be telling you to protect your child, wouldn't it? You'd be questioning your judgement. What if something happens? Should you be letting them go? You are your child's last line of defence, and you're letting them go. What if something goes wrong? What if you never seem them again?
And that's why I think this attack will cause exactly what this ideology wants - maximum upheaval.
Was it a cowardly act? No. It was menacing, calculated hideous act that was carried out in the hope of shattering as many lives as possible. No parent should out-live their child and to that end, this attack is a master-stroke for a twisted ideology, because it will be at the forefront of every parent's mind for a very, very long time to come.
