A rally erupted after people speculated online about the identity of the killer and a police cover up of a terrorist attack
After Southport mourned, it burned. Acrid smoke and the sound of fireworks filled the night sky barely an hour after the town had gathered to pay respect to the victims of Monday’s stabbing atrocity.
Over the previous day, a “swirling morass” of “lies and propaganda” had spread about the identity of the killer and his motives, said Patrick Hurley, the MP for Southport. Some locals were adamant that police and the media were covering up evidence that this had been a terrorist attack. A crowd quickly gathered and filmed on their smartphones. One witness, who lived on the street, said: “I’m scared, bro. We’re scared to go out”. Merseyside police later confirmed that a 32-year-old man, from a village about 20 miles from Southport, was arrested at 6.50pm.
Young men, some wearing face coverings, tried to tear off a riot van’s wing-mirror while others jumped on its windscreen and tried to push through the lines of ill-equipped and out-mobbed officers. A firecracker exploded underneath their feet. The family’s bin was set on fire and rioters tried to break into their garage, said Lang. “It’s just very sad, isn’t it?” said Furness, 50. “Everyone was coming together … It was somewhere that was grieving and struggling. There was the vigil and everyone was coming together, and this disrupted the whole thing under the headline of protect our children – which is ridiculous because everyone on our street was terrified.
By 9.30pm, the disorder had spread. Masked groups broke into Windsor mini mart and ransacked the cigarettes and alcohol. An industrial wheelie bin outside was set ablaze and rammed into police.
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