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2024 Southport riot

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Coordinates: 53°38′43″N 2°59′15″W / 53.6453°N 2.9876°W / 53.6453; -2.9876
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2024 Southport riot
Date30 July 2024; 1 day ago (2024-07-30)
Location
Southport,
Merseyside, England

53°38′43″N 2°59′15″W / 53.6453°N 2.9876°W / 53.6453; -2.9876
Caused by
MethodsRioting, vandalism
Casualties
InjuriesOver 50 police officers[1]
Arrested1

The Southport riot occurred on the evening of 30 July 2024, in response to a stabbing incident in Southport, Merseyside. A crowd of far-right protesters gathered outside Southport Mosque, before attacking police officers, throwing objects at the mosque, and setting a police vehicle alight. The riot left over 50 officers and three police dogs injured.

Background

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Southport stabbing

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Main article: 2024 Southport stabbing

On 29 July 2024, a knife attack took place at a children's yoga and dance workshop. During the attack, three children died, and eight other children were injured, with five of them in critical condition. Two adults at the event were also critically injured. A 17-year-old male was arrested at the scene.[citation needed]

Following the knife attack, incorrect speculation emerged about the identity and religion of the suspected attacker.[2] According to Rolling Stone the false name mainly originated from a website called Channel 3 Now and led the far-right to conclude that the perpetrator was Muslim.[3] Merseyside Police attempted to quell speculation by confirming that the name being circulated was not connected to the case and was not the suspect.[citation needed] BBC News reported that the suspect was born in Cardiff and that his parents had emigrated from Rwanda to the UK.[4]

On the evening of 30 July, a riot started outside a nearby mosque.[5] "Nigel Farage has denied 'whipping up' rioters in Southport".[5]

Riot

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At approximately 20:05 BST, hundreds of far-right protesters gathered outside Southport Mosque chanting, "No surrender!" and "English till I die!"[6] Within several minutes, protesters had clashed with police.[7] Protesters barricaded themselves and shouted "Tommy Robinson," a far-right and anti-Islam activist who was arrested and then released two days prior.[8] By 20:37, protesters began throwing objects at the mosque and police, leaving one officer injured.[9] A police van was set alight[10] as police deployed smoke canisters.[11] Merseyside Police requested officers from Greater Manchester Police, Cheshire Constabulary, Lancashire Police, and North Wales Police.[12] Riot police cleared the area near the mosque by 21:14[13] and protesters had begun dispersing shortly after that as night fell.[14] By 23:14, the riot had ended.[15] A local convenience store was damaged.[16]

Aftermath

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The Merseyside Police Federation said that over fifty officers were injured, with North West Ambulance Service reporting that 27 were hospitalized. Twelve were discharged at the scene.[1]

One man from Standish was arrested on suspicion of possessing a bladed article.[17] Police put in place a 24-hour Section 60 Order giving officers further stop-and-search authority, and a Section 34 Order, allowing police to direct suspicious individuals. Merseyside Police deployed additional officers after the riot, and ambulance resources remained.[1]

Responses

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Prime minister Keir Starmer wrote that "those who have hijacked the vigil for the victims with violence and thuggery have insulted the community as it grieves" and that rioters would feel the full force of the law.[18] Home secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the riot as appalling, requested a criminal investigation and stated "the scenes of thuggery we have seen on the streets of Southport this evening bear no relation to the way the Southport community has been coming together to support each other".[19] Member for Southport, Patrick Hurley, wrote that he was deeply concerned.[20] Hurley appeared on BBC Radio 4's Today on 31 July, where he said that the rioters were not local residents, but were "thugs who'd got the train in" and were "utterly disrespecting the families of the dead and injured children, and utterly disrespecting the town".[21] The rioters had broken windows of Southport Mosque; Hurley told Today that people "were using the horrific incident on Monday, the deaths of three little kiddies, for their own political purposes".[22]

Merseyside Police chief superintendent Alex Goss said that the riot was sickening.[23] The Liverpool Region Mosque Network and the Muslim Association of Britain released statements against the riot.[24]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Whittingham, Stewart; Waddington, Marc; Shoesmith, Ian (30 July 2024). "Thugs hijacked Southport and families' grief, MP says". BBC News. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Police call for end to speculation about attacker's identity". BBC News. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  3. ^ Zemler, Emily (31 July 2024). "Far-right Protesters Descend on Southport After Deadly Knife Attack in English Town". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Suspect was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents". BBC News. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024. [T]he 17-year-old [...] was born in Cardiff and moved to the Southport area in 2013. His parents are from Rwanda [...]
  5. ^ a b Cobham, Tara; Stavrou, Athena; Evans, Holly; Middleton, Joe; Singh, Namita; Gregory, Andy (31 July 2024). "Southport stabbing latest: Farage accused of 'whipping up anger' over killings as 39 police injured in riot". Independent. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Large crowd gathers outside mosque in Southport". The Guardian. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Some police officers have suffered what appeared to be minor injuries in chaotic scenes outside the mosque in Southport". The Guardian. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  8. ^ Al-Othman, Hannah (30 July 2024). "Protesters barricaded themselves down a side street, dragging bins from a pub and industrial unit behind to provide more missiles to throw at police". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  9. ^ Moran, Warren (30 July 2024). "Policeman injured as protest breaks out in Southport". BBC News. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Police van set alight in Southport clashes". BBC News. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  11. ^ Hitchen, Lesley (30 July 2024). "Smoke canisters deployed". BBC News. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  12. ^ "The violence and disturbances were so serious that Merseyside police called in reinforcements from as far as Wales". The Guardian. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Riot police have cleared the area directly outside Southport Mosque and were standing guard with batons raised". The Guardian. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  14. ^ Al-Othman, Hannah (30 July 2024). "Darkness has now fallen and reinforcements from Greater Manchester and Lancashire police are pulling in to try and bring the situation under control". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  15. ^ "Police van set alight in Southport clashes". BBC News. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  16. ^ Deliso, Meredith (30 July 2024). "Violent protest breaks out in UK after vigil over stabbing spree: Police". ABC News. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  17. ^ "Man arrested and flick knife seized near a vigil for victims". The Guardian. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  18. ^ "Prime minister: Rioters will 'feel the full force of the law'". The Guardian. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  19. ^ "Home secretary condemns 'violent thugs' on streets of Southport". BBC News. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  20. ^ "The MP for Southport, Patrick Hurley, said he is "deeply concerned" by the violent protests taking place and has urged people to "stay safe"". The Guardian. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  21. ^ Amos, Owen, ed. (31 July 2024). "Out of town thugs disrespected grieving families, MP says". BBC news.
  22. ^ Amos, Owen, ed. (31 July 2024). "'Beered-up thugs' attacked mosque - MP". BBC news.
  23. ^ "Disorder in Southport 'sickening', police say". BBC News. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  24. ^ "'Inhumane act' nothing to do with Muslim community, says mosque network". BBC News. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
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