Sir David Amess: The community is silent to remember MP

Southend recalled Sir David Amess a week after he was killed in election surgery.

Sir David, 69, was stabbed to death shortly after noon last Friday in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.

Residents and shopkeepers bowed their heads in silence, broken by applause and the launch of blue balloons in memory of the Southend West congressman.

Ali Harbi Ali, 25, is accused of murder and preparation of terrorist acts at the Old Bailey.

James Duddridge, the Congressman for Rochford and Southend East, said: “It will be very difficult not just for the family but for the whole community.”

After the silence, he told the mourners: “Speaking with Jo Cox’s family, it took a long time to recover and we need to spend time together as a community and not be afraid to cry and share a cuddle, share a story, share a funny story and a sensible story.

“I think that’s one of the things the Cox family said was really important: remembering a person and spending time together as a community.

Southend was granted city status in honor of Sir David, who had lobbied for the title for more than 20 years.

Ian Gilbert, leader of Southend Borough Council, said Sir David’s moving stories were shared at an “emotional” council meeting Thursday night.

“Virtually everyone who has lived in Southend for some time has a story to share about him, he was part of the fabric of the city and he touched many, many people,” he said.

“I was heartened by the way the community, quite spontaneously, came together to support each other in this difficult time.

“I hope that the honor of gaining city status, which is something Sir David has tirelessly campaigned on for many years, will help bring the community together and honor its memory.”

A week ago, Sir David was meeting with voters, as he loved to do, at the Methodist Church in Belfairs. He had chatted and laughed with the locals outside the church before he was killed.

He died as he had lived, serving the people, for nearly 40 years. He had met five prime ministers.

So many people I’ve met in the past few days have stories of how it helped them. Many here considered him a friend.

This silence is the idea of ​​the businesses in the Belfairs area. There is a parade of shops here where it was so famous, just as it was throughout the city and the borough, and beyond.

There is sadness and a deep sympathy shared with Sir David’s wife and children.

Among those present was Father Jeffrey Woolnough, who had rushed to the church when he learned that Sir David, a devout Catholic, had been stabbed in hopes of giving him extreme unction.

He was unable to deliver the sacrament as the area had become a crime scene.

He said that Sir David spoke to people from every party, race and religion, and “it was such a great gift and he was tireless because he was sincere.”

Butcher Tony Phillips, who closed his shop for the tribute, said: “We are all very sad that he is no longer with us.

“We saw him quite regularly. He would come to the shop from time to time to see if we had any problems. We will miss him sadly.”

Real estate agent Rob Cooke said, “Sir David was an integral part of the community and we obviously gutted for what happened. I just wanted to pay my respects and think about him and his family.

“I think it will take a long time for the community to recover from what happened.”

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram And Twitter. If you have an email with a suggestion for a story [email protected]