If we stop holding public events, the terrorists will have won.
the terrorists will have won
idiomPhrase used to indicate that if a specified activity is not continued or carried out, those who seek to disrupt normal activities through terror will have succeeded, which is an unacceptable result.
We must continue to travel and live our lives normally, because if we hide in fear, the terrorists will have won.
By abandoning the democratic principles that define our society in response to these threats, we risk a scenario where the terrorists will have won.