To mark the fifth anniversary of the terrorist attack at Westminster Survivors Against Terror has launched a charter calling for better support for those caught up in such attacks. The group calls for:
- A survivors of terrorism support hub
- Fast access to psychological support
- Immediate financial assistance
- A state compensation fund
- Free legal representation
- State recognition for survivors
- A National Day of Remembrance
- Access to long-term assistance
Commenting on the launch of a Survivors’ Charter, Gerald Oppenheim, chair of the London Emergencies Trust (LET), says:
“The Survivors’ Charter sets out a welcome framework for ways in which the state can give support to anyone who is dealing with the immediate as well as the long-lasting and devastating personal effects inflicted on them by a terrorist attack.
“Charities, like the London Emergencies Trust and its predecessor the London Bombings Relief Charitable Fund, passed on generous public donations to people who have been most gravely affected by terrorist attacks in 2005, 2017, 2019 and 2020. But any charitable support on its own will only be part of the answer. This Charter, put together by survivors themselves, rightly says that what’s needed on top of that is a broader and longer-term approach to ways they can be helped to go on living their lives.”