A LOT of rubbish has been spoken in the wake of Monday evening’s horrible events in Berlin.

We understand that it is difficult to keep a cool head when the immediate response to such senseless slaughter is anger, fear and demands for vengeance.

Nigel Farage took news of the death of innocent Christmas shoppers to score political points against Angela Merkel and the husband of murdered MP Jo Cox. Shame on Mr Farage – his rabble-rousing only serves to fan the flames of fear and hatred that the terrorists ignite.

His friend, president elect Donald Trump, vowed to “wipe out Islamist terrorists from the face of the Earth” – a piece of rhetoric that ignores the fact that his country continues to supply arms used in conflicts across the Arab world.

“Isis and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad,” added Mr Trump.

This is true, but it is also true that so far this month more than 70 terrorist atrocities have taken place across the world, claiming more than 500 lives. The vast majority of those killed were Muslims.

Xenophobes on the right conveniently ignore the fact that the people who are suffering most from jihadists are themselves Muslim and despite what some newspapers claim not all fanatical murderers are Islamic. Jo Cox, for example, was slain by a white, far-right terrorist who was born in Scotland and lived in Yorkshire for 40 years.

What happened in Berlin was horrific. It is part of a campaign against democracy and freedom that is harming people of all religions, political beliefs and nationalities.

The only sustainable response is to stand together, united against these cowardly attacks.

Hope rather than hate is the answer.