The parents of one of three girls killed at a Taylor Swift-themed event in northern England last month called for an end to the nationwide rioting that followed their young daughter’s death during an emotional funeral for her.
Alice da Silva Aguiar (9) and two other girls were killed and eight others were injured in a knife attack at an event in the seaside town of Southport two weeks ago.
Days of rioting followed in Southport and in cities and towns across the United Kingdom, sparked by false online posts falsely identifying the suspected killer as an Islamist migrant. A British-born teenager has since been charged and police say the incident is not being treated as terrorism.
At Aguiar’s funeral, the region’s police chief told attendees that his grieving Portuguese parents, Sergio and Alexandra, had asked him to make a public appeal for peace.
Serena Kennedy, the Chief Constable of Merseyside, said “You have shown enormous courage by inviting me here today…on your behalf, on behalf of Alice’s family, to send a message that you do not want there to be any further violence on the streets of the United Kingdom in your daughter’s name.”
“I am ashamed, and I am so sorry that you have had to consider this even when planning the funeral of your beautiful daughter Alice. And I hope that anyone who has been involved in the violent mayhem on our streets over the last 13 days is hanging their head in shame for the pain they have caused to a grieving family such as yours.”
More than 900 people have been arrested and 466 charged in connection with the chaos, mainly targeting migrants and Muslims, and dozens have been sentenced and jailed as courts fast-track their way through cases.
Police and politicians believe the swift and heavy-handed response of officers and the counter-protests attended by thousands since Wednesday have deterred people from taking part in further protests. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has condemned these protests as “far-right hooliganism”.
Prosecutors said Starmer had cancelled his holiday plans to deal with the backlash, and more arrests and charges were expected in the coming months. Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood said the impact on an already strained judicial system would be felt for years to come.
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In Aguiar’s deeply emotional funeral, her white coffin, covered with pink flowers, was brought to the church on a white horse-drawn carriage as hundreds of locals lined the streets to cheer her on.
“You were taken from us too soon, and we often ask why? Why here? Why us? Why you?” the girl’s parents said in a tribute read by the girl’s uncle at the memorial service.
“We will never get over this pain, but we promise to get all the answers. Mummy has seen so much, and we need to know. We are in shock, feeling unimaginable pain. We miss you… For now our sweet angel, keep dancing. Mummy and Daddy will always love you.”
Two other girls, Babe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, were also killed, and Babe’s parents released a statement Saturday saying her death had shattered their world. They said her older sister Jenny had witnessed the attack and managed to escape.
Politicians and police have blamed online misinformation for fuelling the violence, and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said schoolchildren would now be taught how to spot fake news and “hateful conspiracy theories spread on social media”.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said he had written to the Association of British Insurers asking them to ensure prompt payments were made to shops damaged in the riots.