Cyprus House Speaker Annita Demetriou has sent a message of condolence and support to the UK parliament after the tragic killing of MP Sir David Amess.
In her message, Demetriou said the “brutal assassination of Sir David Amess was a heinous act and a blow against democratic principles and values, which he served with devotion during his long political career”.
Demetriou noted that Sir David was a charismatic personality and an active and very dear politician who dedicated his life to the service of society.
“With his untimely death, Cyprus lost a good and devoted friend, who was fighting for justice for Cyprus and its people,” said the House Speaker.
She expressed to her British counterpart Lindsay Hoyle, on behalf of Cypriot MPs, sincere condolences to the deceased’s family and all his colleagues in the House of Commons.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson led tributes on Monday to “dedicated, passionate” David Amess, a veteran lawmaker stabbed to death while meeting members of the public in an attack that has heightened concern about politicians’ safety.
Amess, 69, was knifed at a church on Friday in Leigh-on-Sea, east of London.
At the scene, police arrested the 25-year-old son of an ex-media adviser to a former Somali prime minister. He remains in custody.
They are treating the attack, which Johnson described as a “contemptible act of violence”, as potential terrorism.
Amess was the second British lawmaker to be killed in five years and MPs from across the political spectrum, some fighting back tears, paid tribute to a man they described as a kind, funny, dedicated public servant.
“We will not allow the manner of Sir David’s death to in any way detract from his accomplishments as a politician or as a human being,” Johnson, wearing a black tie, told a packed House of Commons, which earlier observed a minute’s silence.
“David was a patriot who believed passionately in this country, in its people, in its future. He was also one of the nicest, kindest, and most gentle individuals ever to grace these benches.”
To cheers, Johnson announced the town of Southend-on-Sea in Amess’s electoral district would be made a city in his honour, a cause he had championed.
Amess’s family, who visited the scene of his murder, said he was a patriot and a man of peace.
