(Southend-on-Sea) Union Jack, black glass carriage and emotion: hundreds of people paid tribute on Monday to British MP David Amess, stabbed to death in mid-October during a parliamentary duty, on the occasion of his funeral in his constituency.
“No one was more conscientious than David Amess,” greeted his friend and conservative colleague Mark François during a funeral service at St Mary’s Church in Southend-on-Sea, east London, praising his commitment for his constituents and his sense of humor.
Despite the “horrible tragedy” of his death, the United Kingdom should “keep calm and continue” because that is “what it would have wanted us to do”, added the MP.
David Amess, a 69-year-old Conservative MP and father of five, was stabbed to death on October 15 while talking to his constituents at a Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, about 37 miles away. east London.
After the religious ceremony, firefighters from Southend-on-Sea carried David Amess’ casket, covered with a Union Jack flag, through a guard of honor. He then drove through town in a black, glass-enclosed horse-drawn carriage to allow the assembled hundreds to pay their last respects to the MP.
On Tuesday, a mass in his honor will be held at Westminster Cathedral in London, during which a message from the Pope will be read.
The death of David Amess shocked the country, recalling the trauma of the assassination of Labor MP Jo Cox in June 2016 by a right-wing extremist.
The suspect, Ali Harbi Ali, will be tried in March. Arrested on the spot, this 25-year-old young man born in London into a family of Somali origin had, according to British media, briefly followed a program to fight radicalization, without being considered at risk by the security services.
The police cited “a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism”, while the prosecution spoke of “both religious and ideological motivations”. No claims have been made public since his death.