Figen Murray OBE
Campaigner & Activist
When my son was murder in a terrorist attack I chose forgiveness over anger and hate. It helped me become an activist working with the government to bring in security legislation to keep people safe from terrorists.
Figen Murray OBE is the mother of Martyn Hett, who was tragically killed alongside 21 others at the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in May 2017.
Since then, Figen has been working with the Government and the security industry to make tangible changes that can help ensure security at venues will become mandatory. She is the force behind Martyn’s Law, a legislation requiring publicly accessible locations to provide mandatory security against the threat of terrorism. Her ambitions to better understand counter-terrorism saw her achieve a distinction in a counter terrorism master’s degree from the University of Central Lancashire.
Figen’s dedication and work in counter terrorism saw her awarded an OBE in the 2022 New Year’s Honours List. She is a Visiting Fellow for the Institute of Strategic Risk Management, a member of the senior leadership team for TINYg, and an Associate Member of the Security Institute. She is the Patron for AUCSO. Figen was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Salford in November 2022.
In addition to the work around Martyn’s Law, Figen also visits schools and talks to young people about the dangers of online radicalisation. She has so far reached over 26,000 young people all over the UK