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A far-right mob targeted a mosque in north-west England that saw three young girls fatally stabbed during a peaceful vigil in their memory and around 40 police officers suffered injuries in the disorder.
According to reports, misinformation being spread on social media about the ethnicity and religion of the 17-year-old male suspect in police custody led to the rioting at the mosque in Southport on Tuesday night.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who had earlier visited the site of Monday's brutal stabbing attack on a dance studio on Hart Street, condemned the mobs for hijacking the vigil and insulting the grieving community with their actions.
“The people of Southport are reeling after the horror inflicted on them yesterday. They deserve our support and our respect,” said Starmer.
“Those who have hijacked the vigil for the victims with violence and thuggery have insulted the community as it grieves. They will feel the full force of the law,” he said.
Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, were named as the victims of the fatal stabbing. Eight others were seriously injured, five of whom remain in critical condition in hospital.
The Merseyside police have said it was currently not treating the incident as terror-related.
“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 this to bring violence and disorder to our streets. We have already said that the person arrested was born in the UK and speculation helps nobody at this time,” said Alex Goss, assistant chief constable of the force.
The police said 22 of its officers sustained serious injuries, including fractures, lacerations, a suspected broken nose and concussion. The rioters set cars belonging to members of the public alight, threw bricks at the local mosque and damaged a local convenience store, and set large refuse bins on fire.
As a result, strict legal orders have been enforced in the area designed to minimise serious violence and giving additional powers to officers to tackle anti-social behaviour.
“Sadly, offenders have destroyed garden walls so they could use the bricks to attack our officers and have set cars belonging to the public on fire, and damaged cars parked in the mosque car park. This is no way to treat a community, least of all a community that is still reeling from the events of Monday,” said Goss, as he appealed for information to bring those involved to justice.
The police attracted strong support from the local community, who believed the English Defence League (EDL) supporting mob was whipped up largely from outside the town.
The disorder flared up after thousands gathered at the peace vigil to pay tribute to three girls killed and pray for those fighting for their lives in the knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club dance event at Hart Street community centre.
Meanwhile, two adults who were critically injured in the attack have been named locally as yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, who co-organised the dance session for a group of six to 11-year-olds, and John Hayes, who works at the Hart Space where the stabbings took place.
"It is extremely important that people don't spread damaging misinformation online. False information has already been extensively shared in the last 24 hours,” urged UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.
"In these dark and difficult moments, the police must be able to get on with their work and communities must be given the time and space to grieve and heal without outside voices seeking to use events to stir up division or advance their own views," she said.
Meanwhile, more than GBP 2,15,000 has been raised by Taylor Swift fans via a ‘Swifties for Southport Just Giving’ page for the funerals of the children who were killed and for the families of the injured.
The money will also go to Alder Hey Children's Hospital where some of the victims are being treated.