May 2022 Network Call: Figen Murray OBE
In 2017, the UK was devastated by multiple terror attacks and the Grenfell Tower tragedy. These national crises were a catalyst for the creation of the Emergencies Partnership, so it was incredibly humbling to be joined by Figen Murray OBE for our May Network Call. Figen’s son, Martyn Hett, was one of 22 people who lost their lives in the Manchester Arena attack, and since his death, Figen has taken forward the learnings from the attack so told us about her journey over the last five years.
Martyn was 29 years old when he attended the Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in May 2017. Figen was woken up after the attack by her daughter who explained that Martyn’s friends were worried that they could not find him. Around 45 minutes later, Figen heartbreakingly told her family that she had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that Martyn was dead. 24 hours later, it was confirmed that he had passed away.
For the year following Martyn’s death, the whole family grieved deeply for their beloved son and brother, though after the first anniversary of the attack, Figen decided she wanted to make a difference to others and so began visiting secondary schools to talk to young people. “It is young people who are in danger, and they may be persuaded to do bad things,” she said. She also realised that she had little knowledge about terrorism, with the events of May 2017 leaving her with many questions around what terrorism is and why it happens. Therefore, Figen decided to study for a two-year Master’s degree in Counterterrorism.
Around 18 months after Martyn’s death, Figen and her husband attended a small concert and were shocked to see neither their tickets, nor their bags, were checked before entry. After some research, Figen discovered that security at public venues is only a government recommendation. Starting a petition, it amassed 23,500 signatures over six months, however this was then dwarfed by more ‘trivial’ petitions at the same time, which reached hundreds of thousands of signatures. “I realised then, the general public haven’t got a clue they are not safe,” she said. “We see people in hi-vis jackets or a uniform of some kind, and think they are security, but they are not.”
Martyn’s Law is a piece of legislation, which Figen has been campaigning for, consisting of five requirements for spaces and places to which the public have access. These venues should:
Engage with freely available counterterrorism advice and training.
Conduct vulnerability assessments of their operating places and spaces.
Mitigate the risks created by the vulnerabilities.
Put in place/have a counterterrorism plan.
There should also be a requirement for local authorities to plan for the threat of terrorism.
Whilst studying for her Counterterrorism Master’s, Figen split her time between writing dissertations and essays, and travelling to and from London to attend the trial of the brother of the terrorist who killed her son. Shortly after the trial, the inquiry began which she also attended. Figen’s studies and research led her to conclude that terrorism is not just a matter for police, counterterrorism, and the government, it is a societal issue that needs to be tackled by all of us, particularly with a rise in lone actors and the internet increasing the ease of access to harmful information. She also stressed the importance of societal resilience, underpinned by strong societal values.
Figen went on to explain how important she thinks kindness and compassion are in making people feel that they are a part of a community and not isolated. Terrorist groups so often tap into people’s loneliness, fears and hate, so we need to appeal to their kindness and celebrate each other’s cultures with respect, understanding and compassion being some of the values that strengthen our society.
There were also some recommendations that Figen had that we can all take away. On a personal level, she believes we should share the responsibility for our safety, not assuming we are safe, or thinking ‘that won’t happen here or to us.’ Before the Manchester Arena attack, Figen herself admits that she thought terrorism happened to other people, in other countries, and had never expected it to affect her or her family.
As organisations working with communities, promoting the societal values that Figen previously mentioned is among her recommendations. This includes rewarding kindness, resilience, and courage, in turn making people feel more valued by those around them.
