British MP's killer calls himself 'death to traitors, freedom for Britain'

The man charged with the killing of British Labour MP Jo Cox on Saturday gave his name at Westminster Magistrates' Court as "death to traitors, freedom for Britain".

Asked to give his name as he stood in the dock at the court in London, Thomas Mair said: "My name is death to traitors, freedom for Britain."

Mair, 52, refused to pronounce his correct name and remained silent when asked his address and date of birth, The Independent.UK reported.

Cox, 41, died after being shot and stabbed in the street outside her constituency surgery in Birstall on Thursday.

Mair, of Birstall, is charged with murder, grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and possession of an offensive weapon.

He was not required to enter a plea and his lawyer Keith Allen said there was no indication of what plea would be given. The lawyer said legal aid has been applied for.

The magistrate ordered that Mair be remanded in custody until his next appearance, at the Old Bailey on Monday.

He will be held at Belmarsh Prison, and the judge suggested that a psychiatric report should be prepared, saying: "Bearing in mind the name he has just given, he ought to be seen by a psychiatrist."

An online fundraising page for charities supported by Cox raised 250,000 pounds in a matter of hours.

The money raised via the GoFundMe webpage will go to the Royal Voluntary Service, Hope Not Hate, which fights community divisions in Britain, and The White Helmets, a volunteer and rescue workers group based in Syria.

After Cox's death, campaigning in the EU referendum was suspended.

In a show of political unity, British Prime Minister David Cameron and the Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn travelled to Cox's West Yorkshire constituency to pay tribute to the MP alongside her constituents.

Cameron said the country was "rightly shocked" by her death, while Corbyn described the former aid worker as "an exceptional, wonderful, very talented woman".

MPs, who had been on a special recess ahead of Thursday's EU vote, will return to the House of Commons on Monday to pay their respects. Referendum campaigning was suspended for a second day on Saturday.

--IANS

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