In the wake of current political strife, events from a year ago can become even more poignant; such is the case of British Member of Parliament Jo Cox, an advocate for civil rights losing her life to a bigoted coward armed with knife and gun. About to conduct discussions during a constituency surgery with multiple pupils, the humanitarian was approached by a man named Thomas Mair outside of the venue, where he promptly began to slash at the mother of two. An elderly passerby attempted to intervene, suffering a stab wound of his own during the scuffle.
Mair had yelled, “Britain first!” whilst committing the attack, defying Cox’s stances on the Brexit situation, a member of the alt-right community who suffered from mental illness. Said organization claimed it had no affiliation, discouraging the senseless crime. Her aide Fazila Aswat rushed to help, using a purse to deter the perpetrator, but to no avail. “Get away, let him hurt me not you,” were the final words uttered, as a final shot to the head ended Jo’s life. She held the politician’s body until police arrived, where Mair simply admitted to the act, showcasing his repertoire of weapons a couple of miles from the scene.
Researching groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and stating that the victim was a disgrace to the white race, Cox’s stances on fascism enraged an emotionally fragile Mair whose only solace was violence. Cox is the first MP to die since the beginning of the 21st century, also being the singular female casualty in government workings. A distraught family came together to paint the picture of Jo, a hardworking matriarch whom can no longer see her daughters grow up together due to a hateful miscarriage of justice. Both local and international outcry celebrated the efforts of Cox, who had died for the issues she spent a career, and ultimately lifetime, defending.
