00:00Ten years after Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered by a neo-Nazi extremist, colleagues and family
00:07members are reflecting on her legacy and warning that Britain's politics has become increasingly
00:13polarised. Their concerns come as recent unrest in Belfast and demonstrations following the
00:19death of Henry Nowak reignite debate over the role politicians and influential public
00:24figures play in shaping public anger.
00:26I'm proud that I was made in Yorkshire and I'm proud of the things that we make in
00:31Yorkshire and Britain should be proud of that too. I look forward to representing the great
00:36people of Batley and Spen here over the next five years.
00:38It was a murder that shocked the nation. Just days before the Brexit referendum MP Jo Cox
00:45was shot and stabbed outside her constituency surgery. Her message that we have more in
00:50common than that which divides us became a rallying cry against hatred and extremism.
00:56Nearly a decade later, some fear Britain is drifting back towards the very divisions she warned
01:02about.
01:03I often think in times, certainly around Gaza, I constantly just kept wishing and I still
01:09sometimes send her text messages as if she's alive, wish she was here to talk us through
01:15those things. And I can think of no better person who could be here right now.
01:29Speaking ahead of the 10th anniversary of Jo Cox's death, her sister Kim Leadbeater and Labour
01:34MP Jess Phillips reflected on the late MPs legacy. They warned of growing polarisation, a blame culture,
01:41and increasingly hostile political debate. Phillips said there was no better person to confront
01:48the politics Britain faces today.
01:50There's one individual who committed that heinous crime, a far right neo-Nazi whose evil act was his
01:57and his alone. But things don't happen in a vacuum. When people are constantly told that others are
02:03traitors, enemies, invaders, or threats to the nation, eventually some individuals begin to believe
02:09that hostility and violence are justified.
02:11These comments come against the backdrop of violent scenes in Northern Ireland. Racist disorder erupted
02:17following a knife attack in Belfast, with homes set alight and police officers coming under attack.
02:24Kim Leadbeater said while anger can be understandable, it should never become an excuse for violence.
02:30So I would say to anybody, please just think carefully about what you do with your anger. It's fine to
02:35feel it.
02:35Of course you're going to feel it when something so awful happens. But maybe channeling that into doing
02:40something positive for your community is a better way of responding.
02:43But attention has also turned to what fuels these flashpoints. Researchers studying previous episodes of
02:50unrest say influential voices online can shape how people interpret events. Simple explanations, they argue,
02:58can rapidly amplify grievance and anger.
03:01So they establish this parasocial relationship with their audience, which already puts them in
03:08a position where they are kind of a really good authority on all of the things that are going
03:13on in the world and are already trusted more both cognitively and emotionally. And so when emotions
03:20are high and situations are distressing, we seek really easy narratives that can explain what is
03:25happening and why. And influencers like Tommy Robinson can provide just that.
03:31The debate has resurfaced following protests after the death of Henry Nowak. Demonstrations escalated
03:37into violence, leading to arrests and widespread condemnation. The Prime Minister accused some public
03:43figures of inflaming tensions. Sakir Starmer criticised comments suggesting the response should be driven by anger.
03:50Nigel Farage is completely wrong to use this to try and create division. He would be wrong in any
03:56circumstances. But when Henry's family are saying, please don't do that, it's our son. Then really,
04:05as politicians, as human beings, we should start where they start.
04:09Reform UK leader Nigel Farage rejects suggestions that strong language is to blame. He says public
04:16frustration reflects deeper concerns about fairness and trust in institutions.
04:22Henry's family have responded to this in just the most extraordinarily dignified way. But I suggest
04:30the rest of us respond to this with pure cold rage. This is wrong. All the values and standards
04:40of living in a free country where everybody is judged equally before the law have been trashed
04:46and thrown away. There is, of course, a difference between disagreement and division. Politics has
04:53always involved passion, competing ideas and fierce debate. As Britain approaches the 10th anniversary of
05:00Jo Cox's death, the question raised by those who knew her best is whether the tone of that debate
05:06is becoming too toxic and whether words spoken by those with influence can have consequences far beyond Westminster.
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