Unverified rumors have suggested that the teenager who attacked Monday was a Muslim and that Muslim places of worship were targeted. Police are bracing for a tense weekend as protests are expected in several cities and could turn violent.
Clashes escalate. Since the knife attack that killed three girls and injured a dozen people on Monday, July 29, in Southport (north-west England), riots have been increasing in the United Kingdom. Despite the arrest and detention of the teenager who carried out the attack, hundreds of people have taken part in clashes with the police in Southport and Sunderland (north-east) in recent days.
Clashes between police and far-right protesters also broke out in several other cities on Saturday, August 3, including Liverpool, Manchester and Belfast. Franceinfo takes a closer look at this knife attack and the riots that have since set the United Kingdom ablaze.
1 Knife attack in dance class
The attack took place shortly before midday on Monday 29 July at a dance school in Southport, a town in the north-west of England, around 20 kilometres from Liverpool. “The children were attending a Taylor Swift-themed event at a dance school when the assailant, armed with a knife, entered the building and began attacking the children inside.”Merseyside Police Commissioner Serena Kennedy told a news conference. Police said theThe emergency services intervened quickly after being alerted. “at 11:48”by dispatching “13 ambulances” and doctors on site. Dave Kitchin, the head of the local emergency services, described in a press conference a “devastating scene” upon arrival at the scene.
The toll is dramatic. Two little girls, aged 6 and 7, were killed in the attack and eight other children were injured, five of whom were taken to emergency services in critical condition. One of the children taken into care died the following day from her injuries, aged 9. Two adults were also seriously injured by stab wounds received while trying to “protect” children, according to police.
2 17-year-old boy arrested
Shortly after the attack, armed police officers “arrested a man and seized a knife”said a statement from Merseyside Police, released shortly after the attack. At a press conference held the afternoon of the attack, Serena Kennedy said the suspect, a “17 year old man”had been taken into custody. The police chief added that at this stage she ruled out a terrorist motive, considering that the motivations of the arrested man remained “uncertain” as is.
The identity of the teenager, named Axel Rudakubana, was finally revealed on Thursday when he arrived at Liverpool Crown Court. His hearing, during which he did not speak, lasted just five minutes. The judge decided to place him in pre-trial detention in a juvenile facility, after he was charged with the murder of the three girls and ten attempted murders.
3 Violence after vigil for victims
The day after the attack,Violent clashes broke out in Southport, after a vigil organized in tribute to the victims. Hundreds of people initially gathered in the centre of the seaside town in the early evening and observed a minute’s silence. But the rally turned violent later in the evening, when 200 to 300 people started fires, including setting fire to vehicles, according to AFP. Projectiles were also thrown at police and a local mosque was targeted. Some protesters “threw bricks at a local mosque and damaged a grocery store”said Merseyside Police, which “suspected” the protesters to be “supports” of the English Defence League (EDL), a far-right movement.
The outcome of these clashes: local emergency services reported on X that they had dealt with “39 patients in total, all police officers”27 of whom were hospitalized. In a statement, British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper denounced the “shameful scenes” and judged “appalling” that the police, “who is conducting an urgent criminal investigation” after the knife attack, “could be the target of violence”Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded to X, promising to “those who hijacked the victims’ vigil with violence and brutality” that they “will be subject to the full force of the law”.
4 New riots in Sunderland
New riots broke out on Friday, August 2 in Sunderland, a city in the northeast of England. In images of the violence shared on social networks, hundreds of people attack the police, set fire to a car, or even attack a bus. In particular, in a video shared by the Stand Up to Racism collective on X, one of the rioters sports a tattoo of a swastika.
Three police officers were hospitalized and eight people arrested, police said. “Over the course of the evening, these officers were confronted with significant and serious levels of violence, which is absolutely deplorable.”Northumbria Police chief Helena Barron said in a statement, adding that two of the officers remained in hospital. “The police have the full support of the government to act in the most energetic manner possible and ensure that the full force of the law is brought to bear.”reacted the British Home Secretary on X.
5 Security increased around mosques
Faced with the increase in riots, racist, anti-Muslim and anti-immigration slogans, the British Muslim community is on alert this weekend. Unsubstantiated rumors point to the teenager who carried out the attack as a Muslim, setting up mosques as targets. “The Muslim community is deeply concerned”Zara Mohammed, general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), told AFP.
In several cities, police announced that they had increased their presence around mosques, while the British Prime Minister promised a firm response to acts of violence. “far-right hatred” which have multiplied since Monday. In London in particular, the police said they had “increase” its workforce “To reassure” the population, during a pro-Palestinian march and an anti-immigration rally planned in the capital on Saturday, which took place under heavy police surveillance, but in a calm atmosphere.
This security measure was not, however, enough to prevent tensions: they broke out in particular in Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Hull and Belfast on Saturday. “Several Police officers injured while dealing with serious disorder in Liverpool city centreMerseyside Police announced on X. Keir Starmer reacted to these clashes, hammering home that there was no “no excuse for violence”.