How Did A Horrific Attack On Young Children Lead To A Violent Protest In Southport? Here's What You Need To Know

After a horrific attack on a children’s dance class in Southport on Monday, far-right activists started a violent protest outside a local mosque the following night.

When a knifeman entered a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance session two days ago, three girls were killed and eight others left in a critical condition.

A vigil held for the deceased in Southport was then hijacked by far-right figures who soon started to attack the police and the surrounding areas, shouting offensive phrases.

Here’s a chronological look at what we know so far about these two horrendous incidents.

Dance class attack

On Monday night, two girls died from stab wounds – six-year-old Bebe King and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe. A third child, nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar, also died in hospital in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Eight other children suffered from stab wounds in the attack, five of whom went into a critical condition.

Two adults were also injured, and are in a critical condition.

The attacker was quickly arrested and a knife was seized by the police.

The only detail released to the public about the suspect so far is that he is a 17-year-old from Banks village in Lancashire, and born in Cardiff – he cannot be named due to his age.

He has no known links to Islam and his motive remains unclear.

Immediate response

PM Keir Starmer went to Stockport on Tuesday to join the vigil, but he was soon heckled by one woman for not being able to help the situation.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper also called for the public to avoid “unhelpful” speculation around the attack on Tuesday afternoon.

She said: “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.”

The incident sparked a response from the Royal Family, too.

King Charles and Queen Camilla released a statement saying they were “profoundly shocked” by the “utterly horrific incident”.

The Prince and Princess of Wales also wrote on X, sending “love, thoughts and prayers to all those involved in this horrid and heinous attack”.

Taylor Swift also responded via her Instagram story, writing that the “horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously”.

She said: “I’m just completely in shock. The loss of life and innocence and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders.

“These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”

Fns of the singer have since raised more than £272,000 on a Just Giving page to donate to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

Subsequent protest

Despite calls for calm, a protest erupted in Southport on Tuesday night.

Hundreds of far-right activists, potentially members of the English Defence League, threw bricks at police, set vehicles on fire and attacked a mosque.

The ambulance service says 39 people were treated after the protest – all of whom were police officers – 27 were taken to hospital, and 12 were treated and discharged at the scene.

Injuries included fractures, lacerations, a suspected broken nose and a concussion.

Three police dogs were also injured having been hit by the bricks or burnt by the fires. 

Local police say many of the crowd may not actually live in the Merseyside area.

Misinformation on social media

It’s believed some people may have been fired up by baseless claims on social media that the suspect had links to Islam, with false accusations and incorrect names of the attacker.

The local community has already condemned the protest  – Southport MP Patrick Hurley said the rioters must face the “full force of the law”.

He told the Today programme people “were using the horrific incident on Monday, the deaths of three little kiddies, for their own political purposes”.

He said the protesters were “beered-up thugs”, adding: “Even if [the suspect] turns out to be Muslim, under no circumstances does that justify any attack on a mosque by anybody at all”.

What happens now?

Officers were granted enhanced stop and search powers to stop any similar unrest breaking out again.

Social media companies are facing pressure to police content after misinformation and conspiracy theories took root on their platforms, helping to galvanise the far-right protests.

The prime minister has said the rioters will feel the “full force of the law”, saying they had “hijacked the vigil for the victims with violence and thuggery” and “insulted the community as it grieves”.

The Muslim Council of Britain’s 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.”