Keith Palmer, Constable Killed in London Attack and ‘No. 1 Daddy,’ Is Mourned
By DAN BILEFSKYAPRIL 10, 2017
LONDON — Tens of thousands of mourners, including police officers from every force in Britain, lined the route to Southwark Cathedral on Monday
to mark the funeral service of Keith Palmer, the police constable who was stabbed to death in the terrorist attack outside Parliament.
About 50,000 people and an estimated 5,000 police officers, some wearing white gloves
and displaying service medals on their lapels, stood on the streets as the funeral cortege slowly made its way from the Palace of Westminister to Southwark Cathedral for a full police funeral service.
Throughout the day, colleagues praised the heroism of Mr. Palmer — a member of the Parliamentary
and Diplomatic Protection Command, with 15 years of service — who had stood in the path of the terrorist.
During last month’s attack, the sight of Mr. Palmer wounded on the cobbled courtyard in front of Parliament became a powerful symbol of an assault at the heart of British democracy
that convulsed the country and spurred debate over whether security at Parliament needed to be increased.
Mr. Palmer, 48, was unarmed and guarding the houses of Parliament on March 22 when Khalid Masood, a British-born man with a history of violence, suddenly charged toward him
and fatally stabbed him after driving a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge.
"As a police officer, I never came across someone who worked as hard as Keith did." During
last month’s terrorist attack, more than 50 people were injured and five people died.
