To (a) make sure that I have my facts right, and (b) to reassure the editor that not everything I write is simply the product of an over-indulgent session in the Bowlers Rest, or an uninformed rant following a sleepless night worrying about the state of the world at the hands of a few unhinged men with dodgy combovers (step forward Trump, Putin and Netanyahu).

And so, before opening the laptop for this column, I trawled through the newspapers and online news outlets as usual, looking for local stories which might inspire interest and debate amongst our discerning readership. However, more often than not, the major headlines are dominated by national, international and global issues. (It seems, at times, that you can’t open a newspaper without one or all of the three maniacs listed above appearing on the front pages). And sometimes, it’s only right that international events dominate the 24-hour news cycle.

On a recent trawl, I read, amongst other things, about the devastating earthquake in Venezuela, the ongoing genocide in Gaza, speculation that Russia may be about to attack Poland, Trump claiming that a “communist menace” was threatening the USA, the fatal heatwaves across Europe, and child malnutrition in Nepal reaching alarming levels. It’s all pretty bleak, but after reading this stuff, I invariably find myself thinking, “well, it couldn’t happen here.” But recently, one news story was front and centre and it did happen here.

On 19 June, a man armed with bladed weapons embarked on a series of attacks across Edinburgh which culminated in him being apprehended by police on Leith Walk. Videos on social media appeared to show the perpetrator shouting “I’m protecting the country” while being apprehended by the police. He was later charged with five counts of attempted murder linked to terrorism. The alleged offences are thought to have been anti-Muslim in nature. The attacks not only left a number of people with physical injuries requiring hospital treatment, but have fostered acute trauma within communities across the city.

So yes, horrifying incidents like this can happen here, but the question is why?

It would be far too easy to dismiss this event as a one-off carried out by someone who had simply lost the plot. The alleged offences at this stage would appear to have a common thread running through them and echo other incidents which have taken place in other parts of the UK. Amnesty International recently reported that Islamophobic attacks have reached “emergency levels” across the UK. The organisation states that homes, cars and mosques have been targets of suspected firebombings and arson attacks in recent weeks and months.

Zara Mohammed, a former secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain said communities were in a state of shock following recent attacks. However, despite everything, she also rejected the idea that communities should retreat from public life. “The majority of people in this country are good people,” she said. “We need to be able to come together as allies and draw boundaries around what we will not tolerate. We will not tolerate violence against people, hateful views against people.”

And in that light, something else happened in Leith following the incidents on 19 June.

On 27 June, thousands of people took part in an anti-racist demonstration organised by the Reclaim Our Streets organisation. The rally was supported by local politicians, trade unions, local people and various community groups. Rania Obead, co-convener of Stand Up to Racism, said the aim of the event was to send a message of solidarity to the victims and their families. She said the organisation would work with trade unions, political parties and faith groups to “make sure that everyone in this country feels safe and feels welcome”. That such a rally had an amazing turnout and culminated in Leith where immigrants have been made to feel welcome for many, many decades, is no surprise at all. However, we should be in no doubt that there are voices across the UK (we all know who they are) who are actively seeking to foment disquiet, hatred and fear amongst communities and therefore, this is no time to be complacent about the threat to our cohesion and solidarity that they pose. It’s time for peace, love and understanding.

And that will definitely happen here.