Funeral held for slain British MP Jo Cox
July 15, 2016
Hundreds of mourners took to the streets on Friday to pay their respects to the murdered MP, whose private funeral was held earlier that day in her home county of Yorkshire, in northern England. The cortege toured towns in Cox's constituency of Batley and Spen.
Cox, a 41-year-old mother of two, was shot and stabbed to death on June 16 as she was heading to speak with some of her constituents in the town of Birstall. A 52-year-old man with a history of mental illness and ties to far-right extremist groups was arrested at the scene.
The murder shocked Britain, which was in the midst of a highly polarized campaign in the lead-up to its June 23 referendum on British membership in the EU. The man reportedly shouted "Britain First!" when attacking Cox - possibly a reference to a far-right British political group, or possibly a reference to the heated EU referendum campaign.
Tributes pour in
As the hearse made its way through the towns of Heckmondwike and Batley, people reportedly tossed white roses - the county symbol of Yorkshire dating back to the medieval Plantaganet kings - in its path. Signs also lined the roads, emblazoned with slogans like "Far more unites us than divides us."
On Twitter, Cox's widowed husband, Brendan, said he was thinking of all the victims of hate.
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn also took to Twitter to pay his respects for his late colleague.
Also in honor of Cox, friends and family created a fund that has raised 1.5 million pounds ($2 million, 1.8 million euros) that will go to her favorite charities.
Cox's alleged killer is scheduled to go on trial in November.
blc/msh (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)