British survivors of terrorism will launch a new group in a bid to influence government policy on counter-terrorism and provide support for victims.

The Survivors Against Terror group – which includes the husband of murdered MP Jo Cox, the brother and mother of Manchester bombing victim Martyn Hett and the widow of fusilier Lee Rigby – argue that communities need to be better integrated and more inclusive. They have called for “strong support” for the police and security services.

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Those involved include bereaved family members and seriously injured survivors caught up in attacks by the IRA, far-right activists and Islamist extremists.

The lobby group will meet regularly and fight for effective policies for tackling terrorism, arguing that the scourge can be defeated only “if we pull together as a country to fight it more effectively”.

Dan Hett and Figen Murray, the brother and mother of Manchester bombing victim Martyn Hett, are among the founding members, as is Paralympian and 7/7 survivor Martine Wiltshire and Tunisia resort shooting victim Gina Van Dort.

The founders said they had mixed experiences of support from the government and other bodies. Some support was “exemplary” but others had been left with no help at all.



They said: “We will be reaching out to other survivors and bereaved families to build a better picture of what is and isn’t working, and will be talking to the government and other service providers about the gaps we identify.”

Other founding members include Travis Frain, who was hit by the car on Westminster Bridge, Mike Haines, whose brother David was beheaded on camera after being held captive by Islamic State, Yassin Hersi, who was injured in the Finsbury Park mosque attack and Jo Berry, whose father Sir Anthony Berry was killed by the IRA in the 1984 Brighton bombing.

Brendan Cox, whose wife Jo was killed by a far-right extremist, said the group was aiming to educate the public about how they could help, including speaking to children in schools about their potential in the fight against hatred and mobilising support for the police and security services. “[A]t its heart it will be trying to make sure that we don’t just respond to terror but that we get ahead of it, defeat it at its core, at its source. That is one of the central missions of our work together,” he said.

The group will also seek to tackle hate speech and will demand social media companies and media outlets treat survivors with respect and accuracy. They have urged other survivors of terrorism to get in touch via the group’s website.

Dan Hett encouraged people to think about the continuing damage following an act of terrorism.

“We as a group are quite diverse ethnically, politically, age-wise, what better way to illustrate that extremism and terrorism isn’t picky about who it affects than having a cross-section of people who have been affected by it, who cover the spectrum of the UK’s residents,” he said.

Amber Rudd praised the “courage and dedication” of all those involved. “Their ambition to bring positive change as a response to their horrific experiences is inspiring,” the home secretary said, adding that a Victims of Terrorism Unit had been set up last year to provide “comprehensive” support. “I look forward to working with Survivors Against Terror to ensure that their experiences help shape the work we do,” she added.

Becky Rigby, whose husband Lee Rigby was murdered in 2013, said: “One the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do was to sit my little boy down and tell him what happened to his Daddy.

“[Terrorists have] taken so much from so many people but there’s so many more that can stand up and stand together, and it’s just a shame that it took something so horrific to see that goodness in people.”