IF THERE is one thing that those behind Monday’s bombing at Manchester’s MEN Arena will have wanted more than anything else, it is to sow in our country the seeds of discord, fear and intolerance. We mustn’t allow them to succeed.

The Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu put his finger on it when he spoke yesterday at Bishopthorpe Palace, accompanied by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Manchester.

Nothing should be allowed to divide us, Dr Sentamu said - especially not hatred.

Dr Sentamu also spoke of the need for us not to let fear take over our lives. “Fear leads to greater fear,” he said. “Do not create a prison of fear for yourself.”

Those words are worth bearing in mind as we begin to digest the implications of Monday night’s appalling act of savagery. This was one of the most cowardly forms of attack possible - one carried out against defenceless children and teenagers who were simply enjoying a night out.

In the immediate aftermath, the thoughts of everyone have quite rightly been with the victims, and with their traumatised families. That will continue over the coming days as more victims are identified, and more stories of heartbreak and loss emerge.

But what was also striking about Monday night was the extraordinary response of the people of Manchester: the taxi drivers who carried people to safety; the people who ran towards danger rather than away so they could help; the rooms offered to those stranded by the attack; the homeless beggar who cradled a dying woman; the cafés which provided free drinks; the people queuing to give blood.

So often the British people dig deep at times like this, to discover reserves of courage, decency and common humanity. Monday night in Manchester was no exception.

In York, meanwhile, people spoke yesterday of their determination not to let the terrorists succeed in their aim of sowing division and fear.

Condemning the bombing as an act of evil, the Imam of York mosque, Abid Salik, said: “We have to come together, as one voice, one people, one humanity.” The Lord Mayor of York, Cllr Dave Taylor, added: “We mustn’t let this drive us into intolerance. That’s what they (the terrorists) want.”

Quite right. The best way to honour the victims of Monday night’s atrocity is to ensure that rather than dividing us, the attack unites us in standing up for our way of life - for tolerance, freedom and decency - against everything the terrorists believe in.