Condemnation of bomb blasts in London

2.16.24pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 7th Jul 2005

Graham Watson, leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament, and Baroness Sarah Ludford, Liberal Democrat MEP for London, Member of Parliament's Justice & Home Affairs Committee denounced the series of devastating and cowardly bomb attacks on London today and condemned those who would use violence and take innocent civilian lives.

"It is too early to ascertain the origin or motivation behind the attacks nor the extent of the casualties but there can never be any excuse for terrorist acts," declared Watson on learning of the terrible tragedy unfolding in the UK capital.

Graham Watson was formerly chairman of the Civil Liberties committee in the European Parliament and responsible for steering through Parliament a report on the European Arrest Warrant as part of Europe's anti-terrorist legislation which was approved in the European Parliament on the 7 September 2001, just days before the attack on the World Trade Centre in New York. "No free society can guard itself adequately from the perpetrators of indiscriminate killing but there is much more we can do to get police, judiciary and intelligence authorities working together across frontiers to tackle the international threat" he said.

Sarah Ludford said: "Londoners displayed courage and stoicism in the face of these atrocities. I particularly applaud the prompt and efficient reaction of the emergency services."

"Londoners will know that they have the solidarity and support of all their fellow Europeans during this terrible experience as expressed by the President of the European Parliament at our session today"

"This devastating attack on the UK capital reinforces the need for full EU cooperation against the terrorist threat, which I raised with the UK Presidency only yesterday in the European Parliament."