The Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Anglican Church of England, Justin Welby, has strongly condemned last night’s attack in which a man drove a van into a group of faithful outside of the Muslim Welfare House in North London, killing one person and injuring several others. In a statement released this morning, Archbishop Welby wrote: “The freedom to worship without fear is a right we cherish as a nation and was won at great human cost over many years. The appalling attack on Muslims in Finsbury Park is an attack on us all and on the culture and values of our country. At a time when we are all grieving the loss of so many precious people in London and Manchester, this brutal attack can only compound the trauma. Violence only begets more violence – it serves only the interests of those who would terrorise others. This wanton and cruel act can produce no good and cannot be justified or excused. In exactly the same way as previous recent attacks it is a crime against God and against humanity”. Archbishop Welby also expressed solidarity with the victims in a tweet: “The attack at #FinsburyPark mosque is abhorrent. We stand in solidarity with our Muslim friends and pray for the bereaved and injured”.

https://twitter.com/JustinWelby/status/876698802677313536