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UK: Clashes erupt amid 'speculation' over Southport attack

July 31, 2024

After a vigil to mourn the three girls killed in the stabbing attack, protesters fueled by false information gathered outside a mosque and clashed with police.

https://p.dw.com/p/4ivpX
A police van was set alight at a demonstration in Southport after several children were killed and injured in a knife attack
Protesters battled police and lit firesImage: Pat Hurst/PA Wire/dpa/picture alliance

Dozens of protesters clashed with police on Tuesday in the northern English town of Southport, where three children were killed in a stabbing attack a day earlier. 

Crowds of people hurled bottles and stones at officers and set a police van on fire outside a mosque. 

At least 22 officers were injured in the unrest, police said. 

A 17-year-old suspect, who was only identified by police as a teenager from Wales, was arrested over Sunday's attack. But false information spread online that the attacker was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat.

What's behind the unrest in Southport?

According to police, the violent crowds were supporters of the far-right group English Defence League.

Police said "speculation" about the identity of the arrested suspect motivated the unrest, adding that some people were using the rumors "to bring violence and disorder to our streets." 

British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper decried the "thuggery" of rioters, saying the scenes of Tuesday's violence were "a total disgrace."

"The scenes of thuggery... bear no relation to the way in which the Southport community has been coming together to support each other and to support grieving families," she told British broadcasters.

Cooper told lawmakers earlier that she had called on social media companies to "take some responsibility" for the speculation in the aftermath of the attack.

Vigil held for stabbing victims

Many members of the public are taking part in a vigil near the scene in Hart Street, Southport, where several children and teenagers died and were injured during a Taylor Swift event at a dance school on Monday
Hundreds of people attended a peaceful vigil shortly before the clashes eruptedImage: James Speakman/PA Wire/dpa/picture alliance

The violence broke out on Tuesday shortly after a stream of people were paying tribute to the victims in Southport.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer laid flowers at the site of the attack, and said the tragedy "touches a nerve" with the whole country.

"I came here to pay my respects to the victims and families who are going through raw pain and grief that most of us can't imagine — I can't imagine, as a dad myself." 

Some bystanders heckled Starmer, with one shouting: "How many more people will die on our streets, prime minister?"

Prime Minister Keir Starmer lays a bouquet of flowers near the scene of a knife attack in Hart Street
Starmer laid flowers with hundreds of other wreaths in tribute to the victimsImage: James Speakman/PA Wire/dpa/picture alliance

The three girls killed in the attack were aged 6, 7 and 9. Eight other children and two adults were injured. 

They were all attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga event for children at a local community center. 

fb/jsi (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)