'My pain is too much': Revealed, the tragic last words of murdered MP Jo Cox as her assistant desperately pleaded with her to try to get up after she had been shot and stabbed in the street Last-words-MP-Jo-Cox-assistant-revealed.
- Savage gun and knife attack on popular Yorkshire MP yesterday has shocked both Britain and the world
- The politician was on her way to talk to constituents at a local 'surgery' meeting when she was brutally killed
- Her assistant and friend who was with her at the time she died has described her tragic final moments
- Assistant's father said the MP lay bleeding in his daugther's arms and said she was in too much pain to move
The last words of murdered MP Jo Cox have been revealed by the assistant who held her dying boss in her arms after she was shot and stabbed in a horrific daytime attack yesterday.
The shooting of the popular politician - the first time a female parliamentarian has ever been murdered in the UK - has shocked the entire country and led to an outpouring of emotion among the people of her Yorkshire constituency.
The father of her assistant - who was with the Labour MP when she was fatally attacked yesterday afternoon - has now revealed the tragic details of her final moments.
Gulham Maniyar, father of Fazila Aswat, told ITV News: 'She was with my daughter. They'd left Batley office, they were in the marketplace, she was in my daughter's car sitting in the back seat. The car stopped and Jo decided to come out.
'My daughter didn't know she'd been shot. Because this person must be waiting outside where the surgery happens.
'She said [Jo's] injury was so bad and she was in her arms. There was lots of blood. She said "Jo, get up" but [Jo] said "no, my pain is too much, Fazila". I think those were the last words Jo spoke.'
Fazila Aswat, Mrs Cox's assistant and friend, was with the Batley MP in her final moments. Her father has told of the shocking episode
Mrs Cox was on her way to meet constituents when she was attacked. Fazila Aswat has worked for the MP since she was elected last year
Maniyar added: 'She could not do anything else. She tried to comfort her. Then the police came, the air ambulance came, they took her to hospital. She was a witness and her clothes were full of blood.'
Mrs Cox, MP for Batley and Spen, was walking to a 'surgery' meeting with constituents in Birstall near Leeds when she was attacked by a gunman yesterday afternoon.
Witnesses said she was shot three times, once in the head, and repeatedly stabbed and kicked as she lay on the ground in a pool of blood.
Mr Maniyar said his daughter tried to help her injured boss, adding: 'She tried to hit [the attacker] with her handbag but he tried to go at her. People came so he followed them and he came back again and shot her [Jo] again twice.
Speaking of the aftermath, Mr Maniyar said: 'My daughter...she is in shock because she's been with her [Jo] for one year and working very closely with her. It will take time to fully recover from the shock.
'She knew that she's [Jo] was very badly injured. That's why she's not speaking about everything she's seen. She lost one of her best people.'
Mr Maniyar said Mrs Cox 'was like a daughter' to him and called him 'uncle'. He added: 'I think she's a caring person, not just an MP but she liked to help every human being, every single person.
'She worried about Syrian people, she worried about ordinary people. Whenever you approached her, she'd come forward with a smile and try to help you.
'It's shocking. Not just for my daughter but the whole community. We were living in harmony in the community, English community, Asian community. This news is shocking for the whole community. My daughter, it will take time for her to recover.'
He added: 'I met her many, many times. She's a wonderful lady and we all sadly miss her. I saw Jo three days ago. She was campaigning in town and she rang me and I went there. She took a picture with me and some colleagues. She was there smiling.'
Locals have been left stunned by the sudden and violent attack on an MP who was extremely popular in the constituency
The usually quiet Yorkshire town has become the centre of the country's attention as people gather to leave floral tributes in Market Square
The scene this morning at the site where Mrs Cox was suddenly attacked as she walked towards her 'surgery' yesterday afternoon
The investigation into the killing continued as the a memorial in the town became a shrine with flowers and messages placed at its foot
As campaigning for the EU referendum remained suspended in the wake of Mrs Cox's death, the Prime Minister David Cameron, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Commons Speaker John Bercow set aside political debate to remember the much-loved campaigning MP.
They visited the town's market square, close to he scene of her killing, which is still cordoned off by police tape.
Joined by Commons chaplain Rose Hudson-Wilkin and Leeds Central MP Hilary Benn, they bowed their heads as they laid bouquets at the foot of the Joseph Priestley memorial, adding to the impromptu shrine of flowers and messages which has grown up over the past day.
The Prime Minister said the whole nation was 'rightly shocked' at Mrs Cox's death, and called for people to 'value, and see as precious, the democracy we have on these islands'. Politics was about public service and MPs wanted to 'make the world a better place', he said.
And Mr Cameron added: 'Where we see hatred, where we find division, where we see intolerance, we must drive it out of our politics and out of our public life and out of our communities.
'If we truly want to honour Jo, then what we should do is recognise that her values - service, community, tolerance - the values she lived by and worked by, those are the values that we need to redouble in our national life in the months and years to come.'
Hilary Benn, MP for Leeds Central, Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow, PM David Cameron, Commons chaplain Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn arrive in Birstall this afternoon
Mr Cameron called the killing an 'attack on democracy' and said: 'Two children have lost their mother, a husband has lost a loving wife and parliament has lost one of its most compassionate campaigners'
Mr Corbyn looked emotional as he walked through the crowds of locals after laying a floral tribute at the scene this afternoon
Their visit came after Conservatives announced that they will not contest the by-election resulting from her death.
The Prime Minister said the nation was 'rightly shocked' at her death, adding: 'Two children have lost their mother, a husband has lost a loving wife and Parliament has lost one of its most passionate and brilliant campaigners.'
On the card attached to his bouquet, Mr Cameron wrote: 'Jo, a loving mother and wife, a passionate MP and campaigner. You died serving your constituents and country. We hold your family in our prayers. You will never be forgotten.'
Mr Corbyn wrote: 'In loving memory of a wonderful, passionate and committed woman. Her life was dedicated to justice and human rights and proud to represent Batley and Spen.'
Parliament is to be recalled on Monday to allow MPs to pay tribute to Mrs Cox, Mr Corbyn said.
Gardener Thomas Mair is being questioned over the murder of the Westminster rising star. He has been described as a loner who was 'socially isolated and disconnected from society' as a result of long-term mental illness.
Documents obtained from a US far-right group and published this morning show a 1999 receipt for a manual on how to build a homemade gun with Mr Mair's name and address on the top.
Thomas Mair (left) has been arrested over the killing of the MP. Records which emerged in the US this morning appear to show he bought books from a far-Right group, including one which described how to make a handgun at home
A receipt published in the US today appears to show Mair bought books on munitions, incendiaries and explosives in 1999
Forensic officers are seen outside the home of Mair, who has been linked to far-Right group abroad, as the investigation continues
According to US-based civil rights group, the Southern Poverty Law Centre (SPLC), Mair was sent an invoice for £430 ($620) worth of books by the National Alliance, which was a white separatist movement until it ceased operations as a membership organisation in 2013.
Among these was a book called 'Incendiaries' and one called 'Improvised Munitions Handbook', a manual on how to build a pistol, according to an invoice obtained by the SPLC.
Mrs Cox's friend and fellow Labour MP Rachel Reeves broke down in tears today as she and others visited the centre of Birstall this morning, where hundreds of flowers and cards have been laid by grieving locals.
Dewsbury MP Paula Sherriff, Manchester Withington MP Jeff Smith and Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell also left bouquets of red roses among the floral tributes to their colleague.
The group, with Labour Party member Karen Rowling, could not contain their emotions as they stood looking at the flowers and reading the messages at the Priestley Memorial in Birstall.
Also today, in an apparent reference to the referendum campaign, German chancellor Angela Merkel urged British politicians to 'draw limits' around the language used in political debate, warning that otherwise 'radicalisation will become unstoppable'.
The group could not contain their grief after they left messages on flowers saying: 'Goodnight beautiful lady' and 'RIP Jo'
The vicar of Birstall said the community is 'stunned' after the death of Jo Cox as he opened a book of condolence.
More than 400 people packed into St Peter's Church in the West Yorkshire village on Thursday night to pay their respects to the young Labour MP in a vigil.
On Friday, the Rev Paul Knight opened a book of condolence as church members provided tea and a place for contemplation.
The vicar said: 'We wanted to give people the opportunity to pass on their sympathies for Jo, who was obviously so much liked in this area.At this point people don't know what to do.
'So we're giving them the space and the opportunity to voice or express their concerns, and their disappointments and their hurt.'
He added: 'I think for the most part people are just stunned. Shocked but stunned.'
'I don't think we should link the referendum to Jo's death': Friend and fellow Labour MP Rachel Reeves rejects claims bitter Brexit battle triggered deadly attack on Jo Cox
By James Tapsfield for MailOnline
A Labour MP has warned against linking the death of Jo Cox to the bitter battle over the EU referendum.
Rachel Reeves, a friend of Mrs Cox, dismissed the idea that the killing yesterday was a result of the way the campaign was being conducted.
The comments came after claims that the MP was targeted over her support for immigration and ties with Brussels.
Eyewitnesses said her attacker shouted 'Britain first' before shooting and stabbing her.
Greece's member of the EU commission, Dimitris Avramopoulos, waded into the row by insisting Mrs Cox was killed 'for her dedication to European democracy'.
German chancellor Angela Merkel has also blamed 'exaggeration' during the campaign for causing 'radicalisation'.
But a family friend of the suspected attacker has denied he was 'politically motivated' or felt strongly about the referendum.
Rachel Reeves, left, has rejected suggestions that there was a link between the EU referendum and the killing of Jo Cox, right, yesterday
Mrs Cox's fellow MP Rachel Reeves breaks down in tears at the scene in Birstall market place this morning where her friend was murdered
And Ms Reeves, who wept at a service remembering her fellow MP last night, said: 'There's of course going to be a lively debate around fundamental questions like our membership of the European Union.
'But, I don't think that's linked to what happened yesterday. I was at the vigil yesterday at Birstall parish church for Jo, where hundreds of her constituents came to pay tribute, not as a matter of courtesy but because they loved her, because she worked so hard for them.
'And I think if we're honest most MPs every week are doing that work for their constituents, but a lot of that gets ignored and forgotten in the commentary and I think maybe it is a time to reassess what the role of an MP is.
'Yes of course it's the debates about the big issues of our time, but also there is a role that MPs have serving their constituents.
'Often the last point of call is to go to an MP when they are desperate, whether that's on welfare, housing, anti-social behaviour or whatever.
'We don't know what the motives were of the guy who attacked her yesterday. I don't think we should link the referendum to Jo's death.'
Ms Reeves also insisted the tragic episode should not stop MPs interacting with their constituents - although she has closed her office today as a mark of respect.
'We mustn't let the actions of this man drive a wedge between MPs and the people who we were elected to serve,' she said.
'The work of an MP, our surgeries, our work in the community, must continue. But I think it's right today as well as ceasing the campaigning in the referendum that we close our office.
'I think, the fact that Jo died doing the job that she loved in the place that she loved in Birstall in Batley and Spen, is a reminder that the work of an MP isn't just in the Chamber of the House of Commons and in Westminster.
hadow education secretary Lucy Powell was among those paying their respects in Birstall today
Campaiging for the EU referendum has been suspended as a mark of respect. The Conservatives have also announced they will not be contesting the by-election in Batley and Spen
The flag above Buckingham Palace flew at half mast today. The Queen is said to have written privately to Mrs Cox's husband
'So much of the work that we do is in our community, serving local people, probably where we can make the most direct impact on people's lives.
'A lot of people maybe don't see that work of an MP, but it's so important to me and obviously so important to Jo and all of us.
The Leeds West MP said the site where Mrs Cox was attacked was 'such a normal place'.
'The sort of street that is recognisable in any part,' she said. 'To think that such a horrific and violent crime took place against such a wonderful woman..there is a sense of numbness, not being able to believe what has happened
'And anger that someone could take away someone who had so much to give. Jo died doing the job she loved, in the place she loved, representing the people she loved.
'There is also grief and sorrow at the death of a mother, wife, daughter and a friend to many of us.'
The Conservative Party has announced that it will not contest the by-election in the Batley and Spen seat as a mark of respect to Mrs Cox
Comments
Post a Comment