Three girls dead
Southport: Riots after knife attack on children
Following the fatal knife attack on several children and anti-Muslim riots by right-wing extremists, the British coastal town of Southport is in shock. After a vigil for the victims on Tuesday evening, several people attacked a mosque with objects and threw bricks at police officers.
Some streets resembled a field of rubble on Wednesday morning after rioters attacked police officers with bricks, garbage cans and street signs near a mosque. A burnt-out police car could be seen. 39 officers were injured, 27 of whom had to be treated in hospital.
Serious riots after false reports
The serious riots, which broke out after a peaceful vigil by thousands of people for the victims, were fueled by rumors and false reports about the identity of the alleged perpetrator, according to police. The 17-year-old is said to have stabbed three girls aged six, seven and nine to death on Monday and injured eight other children and two adults, some of them seriously. The motive is still unclear.
Reports circulated on the internet that the suspect was a Muslim asylum seeker with an Arabic-sounding name who had already been observed by the British secret service. Critics accused right-wing populist MP Nigel Farage, who once played a key role in pushing for Brexit, of fanning the flames. In a video uploaded to X, the leader of the Reform UK party speculated that the authorities were "withholding the truth from us".
No terrorist background
The police clearly rejected the information, which was also disseminated by a Russian state media outlet. They emphasized that the 17-year-old was born in Great Britain. The BBC reported that the teenager was the son of Rwandan parents and had lived in the Southport region for more than ten years. The police are assuming that the attack was carried out by a lone perpetrator. It was not an act of terrorism.
After a vigil for the victims of the knife attack, the attackers threw bricks at officials as well as the local mosque and looted a store, according to the police. They also reportedly set fire to cars and garbage cans. According to the authorities, most of the rioters were members of a far-right group and had traveled to Southport especially for the event.
Right-wing extremists misuse act for political purposes
"These were thugs who came on the train, these were not people from Southport," local MP Patrick Hurley told BBC Radio 4, adding that they had abused the bloodshed for their own political ends and attacked "the same first responders and the same police officers" who had stopped the perpetrator on Monday.
The British government strongly condemned the riots. The new Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced that rioters would feel the full force of the law.
Prime Minister also harassed
"Those who hijacked the vigil for the victims with violence and brutality have insulted the grieving community," emphasized the head of government at X. Starmer laid flowers near the scene. The Prime Minister, who has only been in office for a few weeks, was harassed by onlookers who called for tougher action against migrants.
According to the police, the police officers injured during the riots suffered broken bones, cuts, probably a broken nose and concussion. Three police dogs were also injured.
"This is no way to treat a community, certainly not a community that is still suffering from Monday's events," said Merseyside Police deputy chief constable Alex Goss. Police were given extended powers to search people in the city area for 24 hours.
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