British Muslims, activists and civil rights groups have denounced the Southport riots and hate speech following a fatal stabbing, while speaking of a sense of fear and growing Islamophobia.
The northern English seaside town, left reeling with grief after a suspect stabbed children and adults at a Taylor Swift-themed Christmas dance club on Monday, was plunged into chaos on Tuesday night as rioters attacked a local mosque, chanting “F*** Muslims” and assaulting police.
More than 50 officers were injured during the riots that erupted after a peaceful vigil. Tensions rose as misinformation and speculation spread online about the suspect in the knife attack. Unverified claims suggest he is a Muslim and an immigrant.
Police have said the suspect is a 17-year-old boy born in the Welsh capital Cardiff who lived in a village near Southport. No further details have been released about him as suspects cannot be identified before being charged. Suspects under 18 are granted automatic anonymity.
Merseyside Police have said the tragedy, which killed six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar, is not being treated as a terror-related incident.
But figures such as far-right agitator Tommy Robinson have fuelled tensions, criticising Muslims and undocumented immigrants after the attack and suggesting the government, police and media are conspiring to hide information from the public.
In a seven-minute video posted on Tuesday to his X account with the caption: “There is more evidence to suggest Islam is a mental health issue rather than a religion of peace,” Robinson tells his 800,000 followers: “You are replacing the British nation with hostile, violent and aggressive immigrants… Your children do not matter to you.” [the Labour government].”
Far-right populist MP Nigel Farage shared a video on X on Tuesday in which he asked: “Were the security services watching this guy[the suspect]? Some reports say yes. Others are not so sure. The police say it is not a terrorist incident… I wonder if they are hiding the truth from us.”
Numerous accounts have appeared on social media blaming Muslims for Monday's attack, which has shocked the UK and prompted an outpouring of grief and compassion for the victims' families. Five of the eight other children who suffered stab wounds – and two adults – are in a critical condition.
Merseyside Police said some of the rioters were believed to be supporters of the English Defence League, the far-right movement founded by Robinson.
The Liverpool Regional Mosque Network said in a statement it was “shocked and horrified” by the knife attack on children and adults at the dance school.
“A minority of people are trying to portray this inhuman act as something related to the Muslim community. Frankly, this is not the case, and we must not allow those who seek to divide us to spread hatred and use this as an opportunity,” he said.
“I felt very scared for the Muslims in Southport,” said Fatima Rajina, a researcher at the Stephen Lawrence Research Centre who specialises in issues of identity, race and British Muslims. “No one can tell Muslims that our fears are just a figment of our imagination. Islamophobia has always been facilitated by the politics of deception by politicians who are never held to account.”
A post on X that has been shared more than 4,000 times referenced another recent riot that some online agitators wrongly attributed to Muslims.
“Before you ridicule any British Muslim for saying they no longer feel safe living in the country of their birth, just remember that in the last two weeks, we have been blamed for the Leeds riots and the Southport stabbings, neither of which had anything to do with us,” it said.
In the northern city of Leeds, people recently rioted after local authorities intervened in a child protection case.
The race equality think tank Runnymede Trust said of the Southport riots: “This is the inevitable and devastating result of the growing Islamophobia that has been allowed to spread on social media, in the mainstream media and by our political class. Our thoughts are with the people of Southport and British Muslims across the country.”
Muslim Council of Britain director Zara Mohammed said: “At a time of great tragedy, loss and grief, we must stand firm against the cynical forces of hate and division. This does not represent our diverse Britain or the people of Southport. The government must address the ever-increasing rise of far-right violent extremism against Muslim communities. More must be done to tackle Islamophobia.”
Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram said the riots “only further traumatise a community already struggling to come to terms with this attack. The senseless violence directed at the very people who ran into danger yesterday and the open Islamophobia only distract from the work of delivering justice.”
Jenni Stancombe, the mother of seven-year-old victim Elsie Dot Stancombe, called for calm.
“This is all I will write, but please stop the violence in Southport tonight,” she posted on social media.
