Attack in Southport

Stabbed girl: Hundreds attend mourning ceremony

(Bild: APA/AP)

A knife attack on young schoolchildren and their carers at the end of July in the north-western English town of Southport has shaken the entire country and led to violent protests by ultra-nationalist groups. Now hundreds of people have said goodbye to one of the dead girls.

The streets outside the church in Southport were lined with crowds as the horse-drawn hearse arrived. The participants in the funeral procession applauded, some holding up flowers or pink balloons. Like the coffin decorated with flowers, most of the people were dressed in white. They wanted to represent the innocence of the deceased children.

Injured person released from hospital
A 17-year-old youth at the time of the attack had targeted a vacation dance class and stabbed children and caregivers there. In addition to nine-year-old Alice, who was buried on Sunday, a seven-year-old and a six-year-old girl were also fatally wounded. Several people were injured. However, they have all since been released from hospital.

(Bild: APA/AP)

The perpetrator's motive is still unclear. Shortly after the crime, it was claimed on the internet that the suspect was an irregular immigrant with a Muslim name. However, both are false, as the police clarified. The alleged perpetrator was born in Great Britain as the son of Rwandan immigrants.

Hundreds of arrests, situation has calmed down
Right-wing extremist riots kept the country on tenterhooks for days. There were attacks on security forces, accommodation for asylum seekers, mosques and stores. Thousands of police officers were deployed, dozens of whom were injured. The situation has since eased again. 

Almost 800 people who took part in the riots or called for violence on the street or on the internet have been arrested so far. Almost 350 have already been charged and several have been sentenced to several years in prison.