The terrorist attack in Reading is a grim reminder of how normal life will continue post-Covid

Editorial: We know what not to do. That includes hostility towards asylum seekers, and knee-jerk oppressive reactions that would undermine trust between the police and the communities they serve

Terrorism will remain a massive problem, not just for this country but for the whole of Europe and the rest of the world (Isabel Infantes/Anadolu Agency/Getty)

The savage, tragic attack on people sitting in the sunshine in a park in Reading is an awful reminder that some of the issues that were uppermost in the nation’s mind before the coronavirus struck have not gone away. Terrorism – for this is now being regarded as a terrorist incident – has been a grave threat to all open, trusting societies across the world for many years. We must accept the unpalatable truth that it will continue to be so.

Anger is an understandable human response. It will take some days for the full details to emerge but it is reported that the man being detained by police is a refugee from Libya. That someone who came to this country to escape from violence should themselves inflect it on the host nation makes the attack all the more repugnant.

But anger will not help us counter the threat. Instead we should follow the course the country has taken, with some success, in tackling terrorism in all its forms and protecting our people. There will inevitably be huge pressure on politicians and on the security services. But we know what to do, and what not to do.