The leader of NATO said Sunday the best way for ordinary citizens to fight terrorism is to go about their lives following the terrorist attack in London Saturday night.
“The terrorists, they want to change the way we live and they want to attack our open, free societies,” said Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of NATO, on CBS Sunday.
“The best response is to stand up for our open, free societies and continue to live the lives we want to live.”
Seven people were killed and dozens more injured after terrorists drove a truck onto a sidewalk on London Bridge Saturday night. After they crashed the vehicle, the three men jumped out of the van and began stabbing people in an area nearby the bridge.
All three men were shot and killed by police in the minutes following the crash.
Stoltenberg’s comments are a contrast to President Trump’s criticism of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who told Londoners there’s nothing to fear about an increased police presence in the city in the coming days.
The former Norwegian prime minister didn’t criticize Trump; instead he praised Trump’s urging of NATO allies to increase their defense spending and the alliance’s role in fighting terrorism.
The attack “underlines the importance of stepping up to fight terrorism,” Stoltenberg said.
“Our biggest NATO operation ever, our presence in Afghanistan, is about fighting terrorism, preventing Afghanistan from once against becoming a safe haven for international terrorism,” he said.
He added, “NATO allies are now, in many ways, contributing to a very important fight that will take time, to defeat ISIL and extremists.”
