Washington, D.C. – IRI is shocked and saddened by the brutal murder of British Member of Parliament Jo Cox.

Initial reports indicate that the suspected killer had ties to a Neo-Nazi group, and may have invoked opposition to the UK remaining in the European Union as a justification for his actions.

Noting that Cox died while on the campaign trail, Prime Minister David Cameron fittingly remarked that “We should treasure and value our democracy, where members of Parliament are in the public, accountable to the public, available to the public. And that’s how Jo died, she died doing her job.”

“Jo Cox was a rising star in the UK’s Labour Party, but it was her idealism and willingness to work across the aisle on the issues that mattered to her that set her apart,” said IRI President Mark Green. “Ms. Cox’s widower said it best, when he asked that Britons ‘…unite to fight against the hatred that killed her.’ Jo Cox’s murder was an attack on democracy—but British democracy is strong enough to resist that attack.”

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