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Public to decide on new memorial for British terror victims

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Press Trust of India London
The UK government today launched a public consultation to seek views on designing a new national memorial for British victims of overseas terrorism.

It follows an announcement in July 2015 that such a memorial will be created in the wake of a terrorist strike at a beach resort in Tunisia which killed 38 people, including 30 British tourists.

UK Foreign Office minister for counter terrorism Tobias Ellwood said: "It is a sad fact thatwe live in very difficult and dangerous times. Sadly, there are victims of terrorism whose families do not have a place where they can grieve".

"It is therefore appropriate that we have a national memorial for those caught up in terrorism abroad. These people must never be forgotten and I encourageanyone who has been affected to have their say," Ellwood said.
 

The consultation, opened on the UK government's website, will last for six weeks and close on March 4.

The views received will help with plans for the memorial, where it should be located and the form it should take so that the memorial is a "timeless, meaningful and fitting tribute to the loved ones who have been lost through acts of terrorism overseas", the Foreign Office said.

The possible locations to choose from include Westminster in central London and the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England.

Mike Haines, brother of DavidHaines who was murdered by Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists, called on others affected to come together and find "common ground".

"We all have different ways of remembering our loved ones. Let's come together to find a common ground. A common ground in which we all can share and be part of building communities and not dividing our society. A memorial that stands for all our grief," he said.

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First Published: Jan 22 2016 | 7:57 PM IST

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