The rise of politicians like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage contributed to Jo Cox’s death, says murdered MP's husband

In a New York Times op-ed, Mr Cox condemns populists who ‘share a strategy based on exploiting divisions between people’

Mr Cox said the environment of fear, hatred and division contributed to a context in which the ‘aberration’ of his wife's death was more likely (Getty)

The husband of the murdered MP Jo Cox has spoken out against a new wave of populists and extremists, including Donald Trump, for inciting hatred and fear.

Brendan Cox, who attended the New York United Nations’ summit on refugees this week, wrote in a New York Times op-ed that the “aberration” of his wife being killed in the UK happened within a context of anti-immigrant rhetoric that made such a crime more likely.

Ms Cox was murdered on 16 June in her home constituency of Batley and Spen in Yorkshire, just one week before the UK voted to leave the European Union.

Her husband, who was left to take care of their two young children, Cuillin and Lejla, wrote in the newspaper that the current atmosphere and rhetoric partially contributed to his wife’s death, rather than the suspect’s reported mental illness.

“This is not just a British problem. The rise of the populists and extremists – who tell people that the problems they face are because of some other group – is a global phenomenon," he said.

“In France, the National Front leader, Marine Le Pen, smears Muslims. In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban peddles hatred of refugees. In Britain, the former leader of the UK Independence Party, Nigel Farage, spreads prejudice toward Romanians. And in the United States, the Republican presidential nominee, Donald J Trump, insults Mexicans and Muslims.”

He also pointed to history to show how quickly hate is normalised, and the danger of staying silent.

“The fight against hatred and division is a defining issue of our time; no institution can afford to sit it out and hope for the best,” he said.

“We have powerful support, but much of it is too passive; we must build stronger coalitions.”

Since the death of his wife, Mr Cox said he has focused on raising his children and advancing what Ms Cox believed in: helping Syrian refugees, addressing people’s concerns about security and immigration and bringing communities together to gain mutual understanding.

“It is the good that must come out of the horror,” he wrote.

He acknowledged that the UN summit in New York would not change the plight of refugees overnight, and that a long-term plan was needed.

This week, president Obama agreed to welcome 110,000 refugees in 2017, an increase of 60 per cent on the last year.

“This is what leadership looks like,” said Mr Cox on Twitter.