Hopes Liverpool terror attack won't lead to hate towards Harrogate district refugees
It's as the man who carried out the attack came from overseas
There are fears the terrorist attack in Liverpool could lead to division between Harrogate district residents and its asylum seekers.
Those at Ripon City of Sanctuary are worried that what happened could lead to increased hatred towards those we've welcomed into the district, tarring them with the same brush as the man who carried out the attack outside Liverpool Women's Hospital.
Emad Al Swealmeen, 32, who carried out the attack reportedly arrived in the UK from the Middle East in 2014 and had an application for asylum rejected the following year, but was still in the country.
Nicola David, Chair at Ripon City of Sanctuary, said:
"It doesn't help any refugee who has come here to find peace to come here and find something they'd been trying to flee from. I can't think of anything worse than trying to get away from that and then coming to another country where it is happening. Then, to be tarred with the same brush as the person who carried out this attack, would be really heart breaking.
"The people here have come through the government scheme. They have been screened and checked to make sure they aren't going to be a security risk. If you happen to meet a Syrian or Afghan family in our district, they are really safe and are really in need of our protection and friendship.
"The vast majority of people who come to their country for asylum are genuine asylum seekers. Their lives are at risk because they're in a war zone, they're being persecuted for their sexuality or their politics, but they're coming here for a genuine need.
"If there has been a terrorist incident tensions are high for a while. I just think it's important not to assume that when you see someone from the Middle East that they are going to be a terrorist. People who come here on the government programme have been carefully selected and they really need out friendship."
Al Swealmeen died in the blast in a taxi outside Liverpool Women's Hospital shortly before 11am on Remembrance Sunday.
The incident has been declared a terrorist attack and the UK terror threat level has since been raised from substantial to severe, meaning an attack is "highly likely" rather than "likely".
Counter Terror Police say that had the bomb that went off outside Liverpool women's hospital gone off in different circumstances it would have caused significant injuries or death.
Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson, Head of Counter Terrorism Police North West, said:
"We continue to make significant progress in relation to the CT Incident at the Liverpool Women's Hospital.
"Although there is much scientific work to do on the device to determine what made it up, we have learned a great deal.
"It was made using homemade explosive and had ball bearings attached to it which would have acted as shrapnel. Had it detonated in different circumstances we believe it would have caused significant injury or death.
"We still do not know how or why the device exploded when it did, but we are not discounting it being completely unintentional, and it is a possibility that the movement of the vehicle or its stopping caused the ignition."