I was told not to feel angry today, that it wouldn’t ‘help’ the families of those slaughtered and maimed in Manchester.

It was a well-intentioned comment from an actress who lives and works in the city on Britain’s biggest soap opera.

There’s just one problem: I do feel angry.

In fact, every sinew of my body is pulsating with blind rage.

I simply cannot comprehend the warped, depraved mentality of anyone who deliberately attacks a pop concert packed with thousands of children.

That makes me angry.

I am filled with blind rage. I look at Saffie Rose and well up. She was murdered and will never lead the life she should have had

I think of poor little Saffie Rose Roussos, just eight years old.

She was with her mother Lisa and sister Ashlee on a family outing to see one of the world’s top pop singers, Ariana Grande.

As they left the show, doubtless buzzing with excitement and happiness, they were caught directly in the suicide bomb blast.

Saffie Rose was murdered. Her mum and sister are wounded.

I can’t look at her smiling photo without welling up.

‘Saffie was a beautiful little girl in every aspect of the word,’ said her headmaster at Tarleton Community Primary School. ‘She was loved by everyone and her warmth and kindness will be remembered fondly. Saffie was quiet and unassuming with a creative flair.’

Now Saffie Rose will never have chance to lead the life she should have had.

I think of that little girl and I feel so angry I could punch down brick walls.

Then there is Georgina Callender, 18, the first victim to be named.

Or happy, smiling Georgina. On her Instagram from two years ago is a picture of her and her idol, Ariana Grande, so thrilled to finally meet. Then Sunday Georgina tweeted Ariana: ‘So excited to see you tomorrow.’ Now she's dead

On her Instagram from two years ago is a picture of Georgina and her idol, Ariana Grande.

It’s such a sweet, happy, innocent image.

‘My meet and greet photos came through,’ Georgina wrote delightedly at the time. ‘After 6 years, I finally got to meet and see my love. I am so happy right now. Hands down the best concert of my life.’ ‘She was so cute and lovely. I hugged her so tight and she said she loved my bow. I can’t get over this, I never will.’

Sunday, Georgina tweeted Ariana: ‘So excited to see you tomorrow,’

Now Georgina is dead and that makes me angry.

She was described as ‘the sweetest person you will ever meet’ by one friend and ‘a ray of sunshine’ by another.

Distraught Ariana is left to tweet words of pointless heartbroken apology. ‘I am so so sorry,’ she wrote in the early hours of this morning.

Of course, she has absolutely nothing to apologise for.

Ariana brings great joy to young people like Georgina and Saffie Rose with her music and talent.

She is a force for good in this troubled, turbulent world.

No, the sole blame lies with the evil barbarian who detonated his bomb as these girls left the concert.

He makes me unbelievably bloody angry.

I picture him now, strolling to the arena with his explosive-filled rucksack.

This attack had been carefully planned.

He knew exactly what he wanted to do, and that was to murder a lot of young people. There were 20,000 in Manchester Arena and the vast majority were young girls like Saffie Rose and Georgina.

They were the safest, easiest, laziest, most vulnerable, sickeningly innocent targets.

He waited until they streamed out of the concert, looked at their excited little faces, and then pressed the detonator.

The explosives were full of nails and ball bearings that ripped into the victims with devastating, deadly force, killing 22 people and injuring another 59.

Many children were among those hit.

Several hours later, ISIS proudly claimed responsibility.

Then today ISIS proudly claimed responsibility in this pathetic statement

‘With Allah’s grace and support, a soldier of the Khilafah managed to place explosive devices in the midst of the gatherings of the Crusaders in the British city of Manchester,’ their statement read, explaining it was ‘revenge for Allah’s religion… in response to their transgressions against the lands of the Muslims. The explosive devices were detonated in the shameless concert arena. What comes next will be more severe on the worshipers of the Cross and their allies.’

Have you ever heard anything so miserably pathetic in your life?

These big tough-guy ISIS terrorists celebrating an attack on a bunch of little girls?

THAT makes me angry.

Finally, I want to address those members of the community from where this killer came who knew him and did nothing to raise any alarm bells.

Oh, I guess it’s possible he just woke up one day and decided to mass murder children.

But let’s work on the far more likely assumption that he became more and more deeply radicalised by Muslim extremists both in Britain and aboard.

He is someone’s son, someone’s friend, possibly someone’s work colleague.

Did anything change about his behaviour?

Did he suddenly start spouting demented claptrap about Islamic State and their plan for a global caliphate?

Did he say or do anything to arouse suspicion? I’ve no idea.

But I refuse to believe this disgusting excuse for a human being never gave a single clue to anyone around him that he was becoming radicalized.

On Sunday in Saudi Arabia, Donald Trump called for Muslims around the world to do more to root out and isolate extremists among them. He was absolutely right. It’s not offensive or racist or bigoted or wrong to ask decent, law-abiding Muslims to do more to tackle this menace

On Sunday, in Saudi Arabia, US President Donald Trump called for Muslims around the world to do more to root out and isolate the extremists among them who think this kind of violence is acceptable.

It was a powerful speech, directed at an audience including the leaders of 55 Muslim countries.

I wrote yesterday that he was absolutely right, and now I say it again.

It’s not offensive or racist or bigoted or wrong to ask decent, law-abiding Muslims to do more to tackle this growing menace.

Not least because Muslims themselves are by far the biggest targets and victims of ISIS.

Last night, many Muslims were at Manchester Arena.

Some were fans in the audience, others were working in security, hospitality or merchandise stalls at the venue.

When the bomb went off, other Muslims in Manchester’s emergency services raced to help: doctors, nurses, fire officers, police officers.

So, many decent, law-abiding Muslims were both targets and heroes last night.

They, like the vast majority of Muslims, want these ISIS bastards eliminated as much as the rest of us.

But I’m sorry, there must be more Muslims can do as a community to spot these killers in their midst before they commit carnage.

In fact, I’m not sorry.

Frankly, I’m sick and tired of everyone treading on politically correct eggshells when it comes to this issue.

Let me offer a parallel: I’m a Catholic and I feel utterly ashamed that members of MY faith in the Catholic community didn’t do more to stop pedophile priests who systematically abused children.

The suffering of so many kids rests on our collective shoulders because not enough Catholics were brave enough to report their suspicions and root out the perverted monsters occupying our pulpits as a cover for their abuse.

I want more Muslims to do more to help us all get rid of these medieval ISIS monsters. Or as Trump so rightly called them, ‘evil losers’.

This shouldn’t be an offensive thing to say.

It should just be common sense.

If it was Hindus, or Bhuddists, or Sikhs, or Jews, or Christians who were committing these horrific acts of terror time and again on civilians in Britain, Europe, America and elsewhere, I would direct the exact same comments to THEIR communities.

These Muslim terrorists are hijacking the peaceful faith of Islam for nefarious reasons to justify their violent actions.

They must be stopped.

To do that, we have to change the mind-set of those who find the bright hideous lights of ISIS so enticing.

I can’t do that. No young impressionable Muslim is going to give a stuff what I, a middle class, middle aged white guy, has to say about their religion.

But they might care what fellow Muslims who live around them say about Islam if an alternative view is expressed with enough conviction. It’s time for Muslim community leaders to dramatically step up the war on these twisted, deviant minds abusing their religion.

And it’s time for non-violent Muslims everywhere to step up their efforts to identify, isolate, expose, and name and shame those who are trying to drag Islam into a gutter of sickening unrelenting terror.

Be bold. Be brave. Speak up.

And, as President Trump urged on Sunday: ‘Drive. Them. Out.’

For everyone reeling from what happened in Manchester, let me also say this:

Yes, it is right to feel desperate sadness about this latest atrocity, a new low even by ISIS standards.

Yes, it is laudable to hold candle-lit vigils, say prayers and spread social media hash-tags offering support for the people of Manchester.

Yes, it is entirely understandable to call for ‘love to conquer hate’ and to tell people like me to stop feeling angry.

But in the end, none of this will stop more attacks.

Yes, it is right to feel desperate sadness, yes, it is laudable to hold candle-lit vigils, say prayers and spread social media hash-tags of support. It's understandable to call for ‘love to conquer hate’ and to tell people like me to stop feeling angry. But none of this will stop more attacks

We know this because we all did all that after the attacks in Paris, Nice, Belgium, Westminster and California - and nothing changed.

My message is simple:

Don’t stand for this any more.

Don’t simply sit back and say it won’t break us.

Don’t just assume our values will prevail over theirs.

We defeated the Nazis in World War 2 by taking the attack to them, with every ounce of our fight, fortitude and intelligence.

This is a different enemy that requires different tactics to defeat it.

But when ISIS chose to attack our children last night, they crossed a line that none of us should accept them crossing.

Get angry.

Get very ****ing angry.