Late on Tuesday, violent clashes erupted in the seaside town of Southport in northwest England, leaving dozens of police officers injured following the tragic killing of three young girls. The girls, aged 6 to 9, were stabbed on Monday during a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga workshop for children. The attack, which also left eight other children and two adults injured, has shocked the usually peaceful community.
In the wake of the incident, unrest spread through the town, with police vans set on fire and protesters dismantling garden walls to hurl bricks at officers and a local mosque. The violence is believed to have been fueled by speculation on social media that the teenage suspect behind the attack was a Muslim, although police have clarified that the 17-year-old male suspect, who has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, was born in Britain and that the incident is not linked to terrorism.
North West Ambulance Service reported that a total of 39 police officers were treated for injuries, with 27 of them requiring hospitalization. Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss of Merseyside Police condemned the attacks, stating, “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.”
The initial stabbing attack, which occurred during a children’s event north of Liverpool, claimed the lives of two young girls on Monday, with a third victim succumbing to her injuries later. Five of the injured children remain in critical condition, alongside two adults who were wounded while trying to protect them.
The tragedy has prompted an outpouring of support, with Taylor Swift’s fans raising £270,000 ($346,000) to assist the victims’ families and the hospital treating the injured.
Police have identified the group responsible for the Tuesday night violence as “supporters of the English Defence League,” a far-right organization. The situation remains tense as authorities work to restore order in the town.
