Thread by @rupert_higham

*Terrorism and domestic violence: a short thread*

I live in Reading, UK, and was shocked to hear first the sirens, then the helicopters, then the terrible news about what happened in #ForburyGardens where I often take my kids to play. "This doesn't happen here", we thought.

1/

I'm a teacher, and hearing of the death of a beloved local teacher, James Furlong, made this more poignant and senseless for me. On the I #bbcr4today report this morning they interviewed an ex-student of his, who spoke movingly of his generosity and enthusiasm.

2/

#bbcr4today also interviewed a police terrorism expert. They talked about there being 40,000 people 'known to the authorities' and the impossibility of surveilling them all. Priorities had to be decided, and risk remains, they sadly agreed.

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"What about Libya?" The interviewer asked. "Do Libyan nationals pose a particular threat?" [quote not exact]. The expert pointed out that we live in politically unstable times globally. These things will sometimes happen, was the sad conclusion.

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The next-but-one item on #bbcr4today but one was very short, but caught my attention. A family of 3 was killed by a driver in an accident in Cumbria. A brief notice, and the news rolled on.

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These stories aren't that similar for many reasons. Crucially, one is deliberate another accidental. But around 1,700 people are killed on UK roads every year still with many more seriously injured. Decrease is slow - around 9% per year.

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This got me thinking further. The Covid-19 lockdown has made a bad situation with domestic violence in the UK much worse - reported deaths may have doubled in a short time.

theguardian.com/society/2020/a…

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And it was bad enough already. In 2019, 173 people were killed at home: mostly women, mostly by their partners who were mostly male.

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-494596…

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I cannot remember when I last heard a moving story on the news about someone killed through domestic violence - about the loss to family, friends and the community. Can you?

Why aren't there such stories? Too many? Too frequent to be news? Too much about women and the home?

9/

What if, for just a month, we reported on the victims of domestic violence and murder with the same depth and tragedy as we did for James Furlong? Who else's name should we hear?

What if we publicly searched our souls and questioned our police system to the same extent?

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People don't like wife killers, as a rule. What if those who hurt and terrorise their partners knew that those who get caught killing their partners are villified and hounded down with the same ferocity as religious fanatics or right-wing extremists?

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I think a small change in our reporting culture could have a big impact on our national culture.

@BBCNews , please consider reporting on our own shameful and prolific domestic terrorism problem with the same depth and relentnessness as you report on other kinds.

Ends.