A far-right mob chanting “English till I die” clashed with police outside a mosque in the UK town of Southport on Tuesday, after a misinformation campaign claimed that the 17-year-old who killed three children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class was a Muslim.
Hundreds of men covering their faces converged outside the Southport Islamic Society Mosque late on Tuesday, barely an hour after thousands gathered nearby for a vigil to remember the victims of Monday’s attack.
Scores of masked men could be seen hurling plant pots, bricks and empty bins at riot police, shortly before they set a police van on fire. According to the BBC, some of the mosque’s windows were smashed in the process.
Merseyside Police condemned the violence and said one of their officers had suffered a suspected broken nose. Photos and videos posted on social media showed several riot police officers with cuts and grazes to their faces following the clashes with the far-right mob.
“At around 7.45pm, a large group of people – believed to be supporters of the English Defence League – began to throw items towards a local mosque on St Luke’s Road in Southport,” the force said.“Officers who are deployed are currently dealing with criminal behaviour and violence with bottles and wheelie bins being thrown at them.”
Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were all fatally stabbed in Monday’s attack, whilst eight other children suffered stab wounds and five are in a critical condition, alongside two adults who were also critically injured.
BBC News reported late on Tuesday that the 17-year-old suspect was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents and had moved to the Southport area in 2013. Because the suspect is under 18 he cannot be legally identified.
Police have provided no details except that he was born in the UK. The Sun newspaper reported that he was born in Cardiff in 2006 after his parents, who are Christian, moved from Rwanda.
Shortly after the violence began, far-right leader Tommy Robinson said the violent mob was “justified” in their actions and said they were driven by concerns over immigration.
In an expletive-laden rant posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Robinson said: “Before anyone starts condemning the angry English men up in Southport, ask yourselves this, what do you fucking expect them to do. Don’t call them hooligans – they’re justified in their anger.”
Robinson fled the UK on Sunday to “put himself beyond the reach of [UK] authorities” where he was due to be in court over alleged contempt proceedings.
His words appeared to refer to a rumour widely circulated on social media that the suspect arrested for the stabbing is from Syria.
Several major social media accounts, including influencer Andrew Tate, also peddled the false claim the attacker was an illegal immigrant.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, had earlier warned against using the killing of three schoolgirls to “stir up division” and spread misinformation online.
“Above all, this is about young children,” she said. “This is about children and their families who will be grieving, and the many other children who were involved yesterday who will be facing great trauma as well.”
In a statement on its Facebook page, made well before the violence erupted, the Southport Islamic Society Mosque posted that they were “truly shocked and saddened” about Monday’s attack.
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