Holyrood urges unity in face of terror threat and possible backlash

Sending her condolences to those who lost loved ones in the “heinous” attack, she said: “We stand in solidarity with London, a vibrant, diverse, wonderful city which will never be cowed by mindless acts of violence.

“We know that, at times like these, it can be all too easy to look for someone to blame.

“It is important that we are very clear about this: acts of terrorism are not the responsibility of any one faith or section of our society; the only people to blame for acts of terrorism are the individuals who plan and perpetrate them.

“Terrorists seek to undermine our values and destroy our way of life.

“They will not succeed. Whatever our disagreements, in this chamber or any other, we stand united in our core values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

“Those values are strong and they will endure,” she said to applause.

The First Minister also informed MSPs she had spoken to Police Scotland Deputy Chief Constable Johnny Gwynne, and there would be a “substantial uplift in armed officers on duty” as well as a “high-profile, non-armed police presence across the country”.

This was for “assurance” and there was no intelligence of an increased threat, she said.

Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative leader, described Khalid Masood, the killer of PC Keith Palmer and two others as “a coward”, and stressed the need "not to tar one religion or one group in the coming days” but to stand united against terror instead.

She said: "As representatives of democracy, we best demonstrate our defiance by showing here in Edinburgh, and at Westminster, that we will not be silenced and we will not be cowed.

"We best strike back against terrorism by staying true to our own values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law."

Noting London elected Sadiq Khan as Europe’s first Muslim mayor last year, Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said: “No matter the religion, nationality or identity of the attacker or of those arrested earlier this morning, this cannot and must not turn into a war on any one community.

“Bringing people together must be part of the solution to combating terror.”

Scottish Green co-convener Patrick Harvie urged Ms Sturgeon to “respond robustly to any increase in hate crime or prejudice”, and said everyone had a role in “challenging those who would seek to blame, stigmatise and alienate people on the basis of their religion”.

He said: “There are, sadly, those in our society, in our media and in our politics—in this country and in others—who are reacting to these events by continuing to express racist, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiments.”

In the most moving contribution, Scottish LibDem leader Willie Rennie recalled how he had walked across Westminster Bridge almost every day for four years as an MP.

“I looked up at Big Ben and then down at the Thames. I dodged past the tourists who were taking pictures of that iconic scene. I do not think I will be able to walk that route again without thinking of the people who were run over, the woman in the river, the police and the other people who were injured or the three people who died.

“Perhaps some of those people were tourists who were taking pictures.

“I will think of the officer who sought to defend democracy and who lost his life in the process.

“However, I do want to be free to walk that route again. Getting the balance right between security and freedom is difficult. We must act on the basis of security, expertise, evidence and intelligence and not fear.”

Earlier, Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh said he had written to Commons Speaker John Bercow, his Lords counterpart Lord Fowler and Mayor Khan to convey the Scottish Parliament’s “sympathy, sorry and solidarity”.

He said: “I hope that I speak for all members in saying that this shocking event should serve to remind us of the importance of holding firm to our humanity and of defending our democracy.”