More Than Thirty-Nine Police Officers Were Injured As Violence Erupted Outside The Mosque In Southport

Unrest broke out in the Merseyside towns and residents swept up broken bricks, shattered glass, and burnt plastic after far-right protesters clashed with police outside a mosque in a northwest England town where three girls were fatally stabbed.

“For Their Own Political Purposes”

Dozens of police officers were injured in a violent eruption as thugs traveled to Southport to use the deaths of three children “for their own political purposes”, the town’s MP has said. Merseyside Police Federation’s Chris McGlade revealed the number of police officers who were hurt is more than 50 in a sustained and vicious attack.

Mr. Hurley said that the riot was led by people from outside the town and stated: “thugs who had got the train in” had used the “deaths of three little kiddies for their own political purposes”. 

Mr McGlade said his injured colleagues were the same “courageous officers” who were themselves trying to come to terms with the “unimaginable tragedy” of the attack. 

“I utterly condemn the actions of these mindless and violent thugs – and they will be brought to justice for their actions,” he added.

The Whole Incident

The three girls named, six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop at the Hart Space studio in Hart Street. Following the knife attack at about 18:00 BST, more than 1,000 people joined a peaceful vigil held outside the Atkinson Gallery on Lord Street.

However, suddenly a group began to gather near a mosque on St Luke’s Road, two streets away from Hart Street, at about 19:45 and engaged in a stand-off with police officers. Then they started attacking the front of the mosque, throwing bricks, bottles, fireworks, and rocks, and officers donned protective gear. They used riot shields to defend themselves as wheelie bins and other objects were hurled towards them.

More than 39 police officers were injured in the whole incident. 

Mosque Chairman Ibrahim Hussein said, “They smashed all the windows, they broke all the fences, and obviously, the chanting and the screaming and the anger just was overwhelming for all of us.”

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