“They were just little kids in a dance class,” the singer wrote on Instagram Tuesday about the “horror” of the act. British fans have launched an online collection to help the victims’ families.
:quality(50)/2023/07/10/64abd44855ee1_placeholder-36b69ec8.png)
Published
Reading time: 2 min
:quality(50)/2024/07/30/sipa-shutterstock41185466-000002-3000-66a8f7ee0154b579233738.jpg)
On Monday, July 29, in Southport, England, three children were killed, eight others injured – five of them in critical condition – as well as two adults in a knife attack, according to the latest report released by the British police on Tuesday, July 30, early in the afternoon.
The attack took place during an activity for children based around songs by Taylor Swift, who is currently on a world tour. The police arrested a 17-year-old boy and do not consider the attack to be linked to terrorism. The American superstar expressed her emotion on social media the day after the tragedy.
:quality(50)/2024/07/30/2024-07-30-16-34-16-window-ok-66a8fabd6a394855625714.jpg)
“The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport continues to overwhelm me and I am just completely shocked… They were just little kids in a dance class,” reacted the singer in a story (an ephemeral publication visible to her subscribers) on the Instagram network, Tuesday July 30. “I have absolutely no idea how to express my condolences to these families.”
“Swifties” – the nickname given to fans of the American star – in the United Kingdom launched an online collection which had already raised more than 137,000 pounds (162,000 euros) on Tuesday around 4:45 p.m., a sum which continued to increase. “We work with Alder Hay Children’s Hospital [à Liverpool] to help raise money for the families affected by the Southport tragedy, and to fund the funerals of the two young people Swifties [le bilan des victimes s’est aggravé après le lancement de la cagnotte] who tragically lost their lives”, indicates the collection page on the JustGiving platform.
Cristina Jones, also a “Swifty”, is behind the collection, called “Swifties for Southport” and launched in partnership with the children’s hospital charity where the injured were taken. “The thought that these parents are going through hell right now and the thought that they are experiencing financial stress because of it breaks our hearts,” she explained to the BBC. “There’s no way we can make things better. But eliminating some stress was definitely a priority for us.”
