Far-right extremists attack Southport Mosque, UK

A large crowd of protesters gathered outside the Southport Islamic Society Mosque where three children were stabbed to death and five others were critically wounded on July 29.

Chanting “British till death” and “No surrender,” slogans often used by far-right extremists, the group threw stones and bricks at the mosque.

Merseyside police took intensive security measures around the mosque, which is located near the knife attack scene.

‘Speculation helps no one’

Making a statement on the incident, Merseyside police said that a group believed to be supporters of the far-right English Defense League (EDL) attacked the mosque.

Bottles and garbage cans were thrown at the police, who intervened against the group gathered in front of the mosque at 7:45 p.m. local time (21.45 TSI), the statement said, adding that a police officer suffered a broken nose and a police van was set on fire.

“It is disgusting to see this happening in a community shaken by the tragic loss of three children’s lives,” Merseyside Deputy Chief Constable Alex Gloss said in the statement.
Gloss added, “Those who do not live in the Merseyside region and do not care about the people of Merseyside attended the incident in Southport this evening.”

Gloss pointed out that people were using speculation about the identity of the 17-year-old suspect in the knife attack to incite violence, saying: “We have already announced that the person is already in custody and was born in the UK. Speculation at this stage is not helpful to anyone. Our police officers should not have to face them, but tonight they will protect locals who have suffered enough and detain the criminals.”

Far-right accounts shared information of dubious veracity

According to British media reports, some social media accounts shared questionable information about the detainee’s identity.

“Social media companies need to take responsibility,” Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said in parliament, calling on the public not to believe speculation.

On the other hand, the Guardian newspaper asserted that a website posing as a news platform that disseminates information from the U.K. and the U.S. was the source of details about the suspect’s identity.

The website claimed that the attack suspect was an asylum-seeker named “Ali” who entered the country illegally last year.

The Guardian reported that the claims shared by a supporter of the far-right Reform U.K. Party on the social media platform TikTok reached 800 thousand views.

A knife attack in SouthportAt noon on July 29, in Southport, about 35 kilometers from Liverpool and 70 kilometers from Manchester in England, an attacker stabbed several people, including children.

The police, who went to the area after the incident in the building on Hart Street, detained the suspect with the knife he reportedly used in the attack.

Many children were among the injured, according to eyewitnesses, and the incident occurred at an event honoring American singer Taylor Swift.

At a joint press conference on the attack, Merseyside Police Chief Serena Kennedy stated that the police received a report of a “knife attack at a dance school” at 11.47 a.m. local time.

Kennedy revealed that the knife blows caused the deaths of two children, the serious injuries of nine others, and the serious injuries of two adults, all of whom were attempting to protect the children.

Kennedy noted that a 17-year-old male suspect in the incident was in custody on suspicion of murder, and his interrogation was ongoing. He also shared the information that the suspect came from Banks in Lancashire but was originally from Cardiff, the capital of Wales.

The announcement of another injured child’s death came a day after the incident.
Following the attack, the government issued a reaction statement. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated on his X account that the news from Southport was terrible and shocking.

Starmer expressed gratitude to the police and medical teams for their prompt arrival at the scene and acknowledged their regular updates on the developments.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, in a post on X, stated that she was in contact with the security forces in the region and expressed her full support for the work.