Heartbroken Southport families have called for calm on the streets as they accused violent thugs of showing ‘no respect to a town that’s grieving’ after protesters torched a police van and injured several officers during ugly riots last night.
Merseyside Police said 22 of its officers were injured after clashes broke out in the seaside town, near the scene where three girls were killed in a horrific knife rampage on Monday.
The Prime Minister and Home Secretary joined police chiefs in condemning the ‘sickening’ violence, which started barely an hour after thousands of mourners had gathered for a vigil to remember the victims who lost their lives.
Tributes have poured in for the three girls killed who police yesterday named as six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.
Eight other children suffered stab wounds at the Taylor Swift-themed summer holiday dance workshop. Five are in a critical condition, alongside two women who were also critically injured as they bravely tried to save the children.
Just yards away from the emotional vigil, a 32-year-old man, dressed in all black with a hat on the joint-hottest day of the year, was separately arrested after being caught carrying a flick knife on Eastbank Street at 6.55pm.
On nearby St Luke’s Street, rioters chanting ‘English till I die’ surrounded the Southport Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre and began hurling rubble at police officers who had formed a protective line around the building.
The violence appears to have been fuelled by false claims online that the suspect was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat.
The 17-year-old boy, who remains in custody accused of murder and attempted murder, is originally from Cardiff but now lives in the nearby Lancashire village of Banks.
Merseyside Police has issued a warning over an ‘incorrect’ name being widely circulated online, adding: ‘We would urge people not to speculate on details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing.’
The angry mob – who police ‘believed to be supporters of the English Defence League’ – started targeting the Muslim place of worship at around 7.45pm.
Eight police officers suffered serious injuries, including one who was knocked unconscious. Protesters also torched cars and wheelie bins belonging to members of the public, shattered the mosque windows with bricks and looted shops.
One Southport resident living near the mosque told how he, his partner and their young daughter fled for the evening, not wanting her to see the sickening violence.
The man said: ‘We just couldn’t stay while this was going on and allow our daughter to witness it.
‘This doesn’t represent Southport – they’re EDL thugs who are from Manchester and Liverpool who have just come here to cause trouble. They have no respect for a town that’s grieving.’
The Prime Minister said rioters had ‘hijacked’ a vigil for victims and would ‘feel the full force of the law’.
Writing on X, Sir Keir said: ‘The people of Southport are reeling after the horror inflicted on them yesterday.
‘They deserve our support and our respect. Those who have hijacked the vigil for the victims with violence and thuggery have insulted the community as it grieves.’
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said ‘scenes of thuggery’ on the streets of Southport ‘bear no relation’ to the community which had been coming together.
She told broadcasters: ‘I think everyone should be showing some respect for the community that is grieving and also for the police who are pursuing an urgent criminal investigation now, and who showed such heroism and bravery yesterday in the face of these horrific attacks.
‘I think everyone needs to support the police in that work, and frankly the scenes of thuggery that we have seen on the streets of Southport this evening bear no relation to the way in which the Southport community has been coming together to support each other and to support grieving families.
‘We need to see some respect for the grieving community and for the police in their urgent work.’
Police have introduced a 24-hour Section 60 Order in the area where the riots took place and extra officers will remain in the area.
Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss said: ‘Tonight, Merseyside Police has faced serious violence in Southport and I am so proud to have witnessed off-duty officers (many of whom had not long finished a full shift) parade back on duty to support their colleagues who had displayed such courage whilst under constant and sustained attack.’
He added: ‘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.’
Local mosque groups condemned the violence aimed towards Muslims, adding: ‘We must not let those who seek to divide us and spread hatred use this as an opportunity.’
And Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool city region, wrote: ‘There are families just coming to terms with yesterday’s events, parents grieving for their murdered children and survivors still trying to process what they witnessed.
‘The violent scenes in Southport tonight will only further traumatise a community that is already struggling to come to terms with this attack.
‘Mindless violence directed at the very people who ran towards the danger yesterday, and outright Islamaphobia, only distract from the work of delivering justice.
‘The real story tonight is of the thousands who gathered at the vigil in Southport in memory of Bebe, Elsie and Alice. For the sake of their loved ones, this disorder needs to stop so the police do their jobs.’
Police said that a number of officers were injured, while cars were set alight and shops were broken into and looted during the disorder.
In a desperate bid to protect themselves, officers put on helmets and riot gear after stones and bottles were launched at them. One officer has suffered a suspected broken nose and police vehicles have been damaged and set on fire as around 400 people gathered to watch.
The three girls who died were among 11 children stabbed during a ‘ferocious’ knife attack which left mothers picking up their children screaming in horror.
Five further children, aged between six and 11, are in a critical condition alongside two female adults, among them hero yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, who ‘bravely tried to protect them’.
One source told The Sun that she needed an eight-hour operation and remains seriously ill in hospital. Dance tutor Heidi Liddle and window cleaner Joel Verite have also been hailed for their bravery during the attack.
As thousands of mourners attended an emotional vigil in Southport on Tuesday evening, protests broke out on the streets surrounding Hart Street, where the attack took place.
Furious demonstrators tore down garden walls to use as missiles to pelt at police, with wheelie bins also thrown during the mayhem.
A police van was set on fire by protesters. Angry mobs chanted ‘Stop the boats’ and kicked out at police vans sent to restore order.
Some threw smoke bombs, with men wearing caps and shorts charging at outnumbered police.
Scores of riot vans and patrol cars raced to the scene as a police helicopter hovered overhead as the violence spread out of control.
Huge crowds of men, many masked and wearing hoodies, were seen clashing with police – as stones, bottles, bricks and fireworks were launched.
Demonstrators could be heard shouting ‘No surrender’ and ‘English till I die’.
One police officer was seen being helped into a van by his colleagues with blood streaming down his face and a heavily bandaged head. A female officer was also seen with a cut cheek.
By 8pm, around 500 rioters had massed in two streets outside the mosque – Sussex Road and St Luke’s Road – trapping around 40 police officers in the middle.
Missiles were hurled at riot officers and dog handlers from both sides. Bottles, bricks, fireworks and lumps of concrete were thrown to cheers from the rioters, who goaded police and eyes each other on.
At about 8.15pm a crowd surrounded three riot vans and began rocking one to try and flip it over.
Moments later a small explosion was heard and a mini-fireball erupted in the air as the van went up in flames.
One man shouted: ‘We’re doing this for our girls!’ as officers drove the other vans away from the fire to stop them also being set alight.
In a desperate attempt to quell the disorder, a charge from riot police brandishing batons sent around 300 of the rioters fleeing down the street as reinforcements flooded the area.
But violence continued into the night, with rioters forming a burning barricade of wheelie bins as they hurled bricks and lumps of concrete at riot police.
Mobs chanting ‘save our girls’ clashed with police until 10.30pm outside the Southport Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre.
A nearby corner shop looked to have been broken into and looted. Rioters set alight at least five wheelie bins in the middle of Sussex Road sending flames and toxic black plumes of smoke shooting up into the night’s sky.
With officers unable to charge due to the burning barricade, a volley of missiles was hurled from behind the makeshift bonfire.
At one point the ferocity of the violence sent the line of police retreating slightly. Officers in a Merseyside Police helicopter continued to monitor events from the air.
The crowd began to thin out around 11pm with reports of disturbances – including cars being torched – breaking out across Southport.
During the demonstration, several people carried placards with slogans about stopping the boats. One read: ‘Stop the boats! Send them back! Fight for our kids! Let’s stand together!
One woman carrying a placard said the disorder was because the knife man who attacked the children ‘was a Muslim.’
She said: ‘We are saying enough is enough. Why are they not stopping the migrants coming in?
‘How many more children will be killed because they are letting them all in? They should be at the borders stopping them.’
Her comments came after inaccurate posts by social media sleuths about the identity of the perpetrator have received millions of views and engagements.
Sunder Katwala, director of the think-tank British Future, said a bogus news channel seemed to have invented a fake name for the suspect and run a false story that was shared online.
Assistant Chief Constable Goss said: ‘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.
‘It is sickening to see this happening within a community that has been devastated by the tragic loss of three young lives.’
Also on Tuesday evening, officers were called to reports of a man carrying a weapon at around 6.50pm, during which time the vigil was taking place at the Atkinson venue.
Police swooped on the scene and detained the man minutes later before seizing the flick knife.
A 32-year-old man dressed in all black, from Standish, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a bladed article, and taken into custody. There were no reports of any injuries during the incident.
Detective Inspector Gavin Mulcahy said: ‘We know too well the devastating impact knife crime can have for victims, their families and friends, and those who carry them.
‘This week has seen an unspeakable tragedy unfold in Southport, and this incident occurred a short distance from where a vigil had been happening where the community was paying their respects to all those affected.
‘Officers made a swift arrest and have seized a knife that could have been used to cause harm in our communities.
‘Those offenders who carry them have no place whatsoever in our communities.
‘Every day we are carrying out stop checks, warrants and land searches to take knives off our streets, but as this incident shows, the assistance of members of the public in telling us where they are stored and who is carrying them is vital to ensure the safety of families and residents.’
At the vigil, tearful locals laid flowers outside the Merseyside town’s grand Atkinson building after falling silent to remember Bebe, Elsie and nine-year-old Alice.
In the first week of the summer holidays, the seaside town should be bustling with happy families and tourists. But at 6pm on Tuesday, more than 5,000 people stood in silence outside the Atkinson building amid an outpouring of grief and shock.
In front of the Grade II-listed building, which comprises a theatre, museum and library, is the Town Hall Gardens, where a sea of floral tributes built up.
One heartbreaking poster surrounded by candles and flowers said ‘never stop dancing’. The children had been enjoying a summer holiday dance workshop when a knifeman entered the studio and launched a frenzied attack.
Among the bouquets, there were also a number of Taylor Swift-style friendship bracelets. ‘Thinking of you all,’ a row of four of them spelt out.
Ahead of the vigil, the families and schools of the innocent girls who were fatally attacked by a crazed knifeman also released tributes.
In a statement, Bebe’s family said: ‘No words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe.’
The family of Alice Dasilva Aguiar added: ‘Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess, like we said before to you, you’re always our princess and no one would change that. Love from Your Hero Daddy and Mummy.’
And the headteacher of Farnborough Road Infant School said they were ‘heartbroken and devastated’ by the death of pupil Elsie.
Jennifer Sephton said: ‘Elsie has been a loving and bright member of our wonderful community since first being brought here on her father’s shoulders, and even at her early age she was such a caring and charismatic young lady who loved to please.
‘Elsie was a kind and caring friend to all who met her and was adored by everyone in our community. Our hearts and most deeply-felt sympathies go out to Elsie’s family, friends and our Farnborough community who have been left numb by what has happened.
‘It is immensely difficult to put into words how amazing Elsie was and the impact she had on those around her. We will miss you dearly Elsie. You were one of a kind.’
Alder Hey Children’s hospital this afternoon released a statement confirming that seven children had been taken to the site for treatment. One of those was Alice, and of the others, two remain in a critical condition, a spokesperson said.
The head of the school trust attended by Alice and Bebe said the girls ‘will be in our hearts forever’.
Endeavour Learning Trust chief executive David Clayton said ‘no words can do justice to what has happened here in Southport.
The trust contains Churchtown Primary School in Southport, which Alice and Bebe had both attended.
Churchtown Primary headteacher Jinnie Payne said the school had heard the ‘tragic news’ with ‘great sadness’, describing the stabbings as an ‘atrocity’.
In a statement, Mr Clayton said: ‘No words can do justice to what has happened here in Southport – and our hearts are broken for the families who have lost their children.
‘No one should ever have to experience horror like this.
‘Our immediate focus now is on providing support to the community as we start to understand what has happened. The death of a child is always a desperate tragedy for a school, and particularly so under such circumstances.
‘We will come together as a community, offering each other support and care as we work through this difficult time.
‘Alice and Bebe will be in our hearts forever.’
Ms Payne said Alice, a Year 4 pupil at Churchtown, was the ‘happiest of souls, a true ray of sunshine’.
The Churchtown Primary headteacher added: ‘She was known and loved by everyone in our school community of 700 children, a testament to her unique ability to connect with others.
‘Alice’s radiant smile brightened our days, and she embraced every aspect of school life with enthusiasm and joy.
‘Her kindness, playful nature, and zest for trying new things will forever be remembered. Alice, you will always hold a special place in our hearts at Churchtown.’
Ms Payne said Bebe, a former pupil at the school, was a ‘joyful girl’ whose ‘kindness radiated through the entire Churchtown community’.
The headteacher added: ‘During her time at the school, Bebe’s considerate nature and her love of learning shone through in everything that she did.
‘Each day, she would come into school ready to grasp every opportunity available to her and fun and laughter were never far away whenever Bebe was involved.
‘Her considerate nature meant that she had many friends and she always ensured all children felt included, whether that was through play or working together in the classroom.
‘Bebe’s memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew her.’
The headteacher added: ‘We know that a number of other children from Churchtown were also involved in the attack, along with much-loved colleagues.
‘We extend our heartfelt wishes to all those families affected by this horrific incident, including those currently in hospital or continuing to receive treatment.’
Devastated relatives of Alice said she had been taken by a ‘despicable human being.’
Her mother Alexandra Aguiar is understood to be originally from Caracas in Venezuela and her dad David Aguiar is from the Portuguese island of Madeira.
Relative Carina Aguiar, a hotel worker who lives in Camara de Lobos in Madeira, posted a link on her social media to news Merseyside Police had confirmed a third child’ had died following the attack and wrote tear emojis beside it.
Earlier she posted a photo of a black ribbon on her Facebook alongside Alice’s name after writing in an emotional tribute: ‘Princess Alice. In this moment of great pain my soul hurts, my body hurts, my mind hurts. I have a lump in my throat.
‘You were just an innocent child, a happy smiley girl with a bright life ahead of you which a despicable human being took away from you, without pity, for no reason.’
Reacting to the riots, Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy posted on X: ‘I am incredibly proud of my officers and staff who have worked so hard to save the lives of children, investigate the horrific incident from yesterday, working with partners to provide reassurance to our communities and now they are facing this level of violence from these thugs
‘Over 1000 residents from Southport came together this evening to remember the little girls who have died, those who are still critical in hospital and all those who witnessed & are traumatised by the events from yesterday. This is where all of our focus should be.’
Southport MP Patrick Hurley said: ‘It’s distressing to see people from outside our Southport community attacking our police and local people.
‘I want to make it clear that I fully condemn any attack on our emergency services, these are the same services that responded to the tragic attack yesterday.
‘I appeal to local people to avoid the area and stay safe, to allow the police to do their job.’
Mr Hurley continued: ‘I want to thank our community for pulling together and supporting every person who has been affected by Monday’s tragic attack.
‘Nowhere was this more evident than the solidarity, remembrance and sympathy heard at today’s vigil.
‘To those who laid flowers, candles, toys, thank you. I was deeply saddened to hear the news today of the death or a third child. Bebe, Elsie and Alice are in all of our thoughts and hearts today.’
The Southport Mosque said it was ‘truly shocked and saddened to hear about the events that unfolded today’. They added: ‘We extend our deepest sympathy to the families of all affected. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.’
The Liverpool Region Mosque Network said it was ‘shocked and horrified’ by the knife rampage on Monday.
But it added: ‘A minority of people are attempting to portray that this inhumane act is somehow related to the Muslim community. Frankly it is not, and we must not let those who seek to divide us and spread hatred use this as an opportunity.
‘This evening, we have seen distressing scenes outside Southport Mosque with angry protesters, gathering outside. This is causing further fear and anxiety within our communities. We must all unite and stand together against all forms of hate, violence and division.’
And the The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) condemned ‘shocking scenes of far-right rioters running amok outside a mosque’.
The MCB says Islamaphobic backlash began with a false rumour on the internet which was then stoked by misinformation from a Russian news site, which wrongfully associated the crime with Muslims.
MCB secretary-general Zara Mohammed said: ‘At a time of great tragedy, loss, and mourning, we must stand firm against the cynical forces of hatred and division. This does not represent our diverse Britain and the people of Southport.
‘The Government must address the increasing rise of violent far-right extremism targeting Muslim communities. More must be done to tackle Islamophobia and offer reassurance at this time.’
She added: ‘We commend the authorities for their swift action, and our prayers are with the mosque, the families of the victims of yesterday’s attack, and the local community.’
Downing Street also warned against ‘unhelpful’ speculation amid concerns that misreporting online could inflame community tensions.
Officers should be given the space to probe the case without people guessing at the possible motive or circumstances, No 10 said.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Prime Minister was repeatedly asked ‘how many more children will die?’ as he placed flowers at the scene of the attack.
Sir Keir’s brief visit, which lasted around two minutes, was interrupted by some members of the public heckling him.
As the Prime Minister walked past, one man declared: ‘Here’s your photo opportunity.’
Another shouted: ‘How many more children? Our kids are dead and you’re leaving already?’
Other furious onlookers shouted ‘scumbag’, ‘time for change’ and ‘go away, you’re not wanted’.
Another woman said: ‘I’ve just found out my friend’s nine-year-old daughter was killed, the person I’ve held as a child, and you can’t do s***.’
And a different man shouted: ‘Get the truth out!’
Ms Cooper has said social media companies ‘need to take some responsibility’ for some activity in the aftermath of the attack.
Responding to shadow home secretary James Cleverly, she said: ‘I agree with him too about the responsibility on every one of us. The police do need to be able to pursue this investigation.
‘There will be wider questions for other days, but the most important thing is that every one of us supports the police in their investigation now.
‘I agree with him too about the responsibility on social media companies, because we do need to recognise there are things that are taking place on social media that go against their terms and conditions, and their commitments as well. They need to take some responsibility for that.
‘Above all, this is about young children. This is about children and their families who will be grieving, and the many other children who were involved yesterday who will be facing great trauma as well.’
Her counterpart Mr Cleverly called for people not to ‘get involved in the grief of others’ by sharing misinformation relating to the Southport attack on social media.
‘Enough people are already distressed without their distress being amplified by speculation and gossip online,’ he added.
Ahead of fears mounting over a far-right rally, Sir Keir’s official spokesman said: ‘Of course, people should listen the police, they should not do anything that is going to make the police’s job harder to manage the situation, to conduct their investigations.
‘It is unhelpful to speculate on things like the motive and the circumstance around this.’
Police have said that, although the motive for the attack is unclear, it is not believed to be terror-related.