The Manchester bombing: what the papers say

The ‘cruel’ attack in Manchester is ‘more proof’ that the ‘liberal West shelters hate-filled enemies set on destroying our way of life’, says the Daily Mail. The bombing, in which 22 people lost their lives, was the worst since 7/7. And while our thoughts are now with the victims and their families, says the paper, ‘we owe them more than defiant declarations that terrorism cannot win’. Although details about the attacker remain sketchy, we know enough already, argues the Mail, to ‘draw vital lessons’ from this attack. ‘How many more returning jihadis and their brainwashed wives must we welcome home to walk our streets freely?,’ asks the Mail. It’s clear, says the paper, that the security services need ‘tougher powers’ to ‘root out’ Muslims ‘who drag their religion’s good name into the mire’. After all, as long as we ‘go on harbouring those who hate us’, the relatives of those killed in the Manchester attack ‘won’t be the last to suffer’.