Martyn’s Law in name of Manchester terror victim could go international as Sydney Opera House ‘starts talks’ with bereaved mum
The UK marked its first national day for victims and survivors of terrorism.
Sydney Opera House and venues in Dallas, Texas, could soon implement their own version of a grieving mum’s law, following the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.
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Martyn’s Law, which will be implemented in the UK next year, will require pubs, clubs, and large music venues to have specific policies in place for how they respond to a terror attack.
Now, the bereaved mum behind the legislation has revealed that she’s been invited overseas to help other regions implement the policy.
Named after Martyn Hett, who was one of the 22 people killed at the Ariana Grande concert, the legislation followed an online campaign after numerous failures were identified in the response to the bombing.
A public inquiry found that there were inadequate resources, a slow response, a lack of training and communication across the emergency services and venue staff on the night.
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Over eight years since Martyn Hett’s mum, Figen Murray, has campaigned for a change in the law around what should be expected of venues, to prepare for acts of terror.
Speaking to LBC at the first National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism, Figen Murray said: “It was meant to be a 6-month online campaign and turned very quickly into an almost 8-year full-time job.
“It was my way of processing my grief, I guess.
“I hadn’t realised a law like this doesn’t exist in the UK, but it also doesn’t exist worldwide, so now that it’s been passed here, it’s taking me more globally.
“I'll be travelling to Sydney and to Dallas and to Poland, to spread the word there because other nations are now interested.
“They're definitely looking at the principles of Martyn's Law. People like the Sydney Opera House are now looking at it, and the FBI in Dallas are wanting to hear about all of this. It's quite astonishing, really.”
On Friday, a memorial event was held in Central London to mark the UK’s first national day for victims and survivors of terrorism.
A two-minute silence was held as affected families gathered in Lancaster House.
Survivors had been pushing for a national day for some time, as they claimed they were often left forgotten about in the aftermath of attacks.
Travis Frain, who was hit by the car driven by Khalid Masood, as he rammed into crowds on Westminster Bridge in March 2017, killing four people before he stabbed a police officer to death.
The then-19-year-old student was visiting London on a university trip.
He told LBC: “I had fantastic support in hospital. But the second I left the hospital, that support dropped off pretty dramatically.
“And unfortunately, it became very clear to me over the months and years following that I was not an isolated case, having spoken to many other victims, it became clear that this was quite a significant problem.”
Travis Frain, alongside numerous other victims of terrorism, have been calling for an overhaul to the support offered after an attack, including through compensation.
Darryn Frost, who fought the Fishmongers’ Hall terrorist in London in 2019, told LBC News: “To get compensation, you have to prove you’re a victim and that you were affected.
“There was a victim at the Manchester Arena bombing who had to get his solicitor to take photos of him in his hospital bed where he’d been in ICU for six months, to prove his injuries.
“It’s so dehumanising. And in my case, there was so much paperwork, and I was confused by things because of what I’d been through.
“It feels like you’re negotiating in some back street alley for stuff that should just be supporting your livelihood.”
LBC understands that ministers are now discussing changing the way that compensation is paid to survivors of terror attacks.
Security minister Dan Jarvis told us: “I completely understand the points that people have made about compensation. The victims minister and I are looking at whether there is more that we can do.”
Asked if he agreed that victims had been let down by the state in terms of the support offered, Dan Jarvis said: “I think going back over many years, it was the case that more could be done.”
He added: “But as the Security Minister, I'm determined to make sure that we do everything as a government to provide the support that I think can reasonably be expected.”