 "After 3 young girls are stabbed to death, vigil turns violent: What’s going on in UK’s Southport?")
Fuelled by anger and false rumours on social media, far-right protesters violently clashed with British police on Tuesday, July 30, near a mosque in the northwest England town of Southport.
At least 39 officers were injured in the clash, as per The Independent.
The incident comes a day after three young girls were fatally stabbed in one of the worst assaults against children in the country in decades.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned the “thuggery," saying the crowd “hijacked” what had earlier been a peaceful vigil attended by hundreds to mourn the dead and 10 surviving stabbing victims, seven of whom were in critical condition.
“They will feel the full force of the law," he added.
Here’s a look at the mayhem and the reason behind it.
The violence
The clash between police and the protesters occurred during a peaceful vigil in the seaside town attended by hundreds of mourners who laid flowers, candles and stuffed toys in an emotional tribute to the three girls killed in the attack during a Taylor Swift-themed event at a dance school.
According to the police, the protesters who torched a police van and several cars were believed to be supporters of a far-right group called the English Defence League.
Officers outside the Southport Mosque in riot gear were pelted with bricks torn from garden walls in the residential neighbourhood by members of the crowd, some of whom wore masks, amid chants of “No surrender!” and “English till I die!”
Firecrackers exploded, sirens wailed and a helicopter hovering overhead added to the chaos in the normally quiet town.
Thirty-nine officers were injured in the incident. Eight of them suffered more serious injuries that included fractures, lacerations and a concussion, as per The Associated Press.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsAccording to CNN, the North West Ambulance Service treated 39 police officers injured and 27 of them were taken to the hospital.
Two police dogs were wounded by bricks and a third suffered burns.
The reason behind it
The British Police believe the mayhem was inspired by unconfirmed rumours about the identity of the teenage suspect arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder following Monday’s knife attack, as per AP.
“There has been much speculation and hypothesis around the status of a 17-year-old male who is currently in police custody and some individuals are using his to bring violence and disorder to our streets,” Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss said.
Police previously said a suspect’s name circulating on social media was “incorrect” and the boy was born in Britain, contrary to online claims he was a Muslim and an asylum seeker. “We have already said that the person arrested was born in the UK, and speculation helps nobody at this time.”
The Liverpool Region Mosque Network posted a statement decrying the “heinous” stabbing as an attack against a society that was unconnected to Islam. “A minority of people are attempting to portray that this inhumane act is somehow related to the Muslim community,” the group said on the X social media platform. “Frankly it is not, and we must not let those who seek to divide us and spread hatred use this as an opportunity.”
— Liverpool Region Mosque Network (@LRMnet_) July 30, 2024
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) also said in a statement, “Southport’s tragedy was shamelessly exploited to spark outrage, with Islamophobia fueling the fire and leading to tonight’s violence. This began with a false rumour on the internet, stoked by misinformation from a Russian news site, which wrongfully associated the crime with Muslims."
It added that the government “must address the increasing rise of violent far-right extremism targeting Muslim communities. More must be done to tackle Islamophobia and offer reassurance at this time.”
The stabbing incident
On July 29, a short distance from the turmoil, the three girls, who had taken part in a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga workshop on the first week of summer vacation in Southport, were viciously attacked by a teen armed with a knife, police said.
Witnesses described hearing screams and seeing children covered in blood in the mayhem outside the Hart Space, a community centre that hosts everything from pregnancy workshops to women’s boot camps.
“It’s difficult to comprehend or put into words the horror of what happened,” Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said while briefing members of Parliament, adding, “What should have been a joyful start to the summer turned into an unspeakable tragedy.”
The deceased were identified as nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and six-year-old Bebe King.
Eight other children and two adults, including the organiser of the event, remained hospitalised after the attack. Both adults and five of the children were in critical condition.
An emotional crowd that gathered in Southport outside the Atkinson Theatre and Museum in the early evening held a minute of silence for the victims.
June Burns, the mayor of the Sefton region that contains Southport, called for calm and respect and urged people to be good to one another. She said she was overcome with emotion when she visited the scene of the tragedy earlier. “It’s unbelievable that we find ourselves laying flowers for little girls who just wanted to dance,” she said.
Swift said earlier on Instagram that she was “completely in shock” and still taking in “the horror” of the event. “These were just little kids at a dance class,” she wrote. “I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
The 17-year-old suspect was arrested just before noon. The police said he was born in Cardiff, Wales, and had lived for years in a village about five kilometres from Southport. He has not yet been charged.
Rising knife attacks in the UK
The United Kingdom has witnessed a steady rise in knife crime, stoking anxieties and calls for the government to do more to clamp down on bladed weapons such as knives, which account for about 40 per cent of homicides.
Mass shootings and killings with firearms are exceptionally rare in Britain.
The country’s worst attack on children occurred in 1996, when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton shot 16 kindergarteners and their teacher dead in a school gymnasium in Dunblane, Scotland. It subsequently banned the private ownership of almost all handguns.
Mass stabbings are also very rare, according to Iain Overton, executive director of Action on Armed Violence.
“Most knife attacks are one-on-one and personal — either domestic violence or gang-related — so this tragedy is very unusual and, accordingly, garners lots of media interest,” Overton said. “This offers no comfort to the grieving families, of course.”
With inputs from The Associated Press
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