I, like the vast majority of Southport residents, was horrified by the events here on Monday lunchtime. Little girls being just that, were viciously attacked and sadly, some fatally. I was one od many hundreds who attended the vigil outside the Atkinson, yesterday evening. It was heartbreaking, peaceful and very dignified, as was befitting the occasion. To think, that less than two hours later, people were attacking a mosque, setting fire to vehicles, destroying garden walls to use the bricks as missiles. Just who did they think they were representing. I am English born and bred, and I for one would prefer to live peacefully among people of all nationalities, rather than the thugs who hijacked a tragic occurrence for their own ends.
“out of town thugs” - Reform came 2nd or 3rd place in a majority of constituencies across Merseyside. They came 3rd place in Southport. I fear the government, councils and police are refusing to see or manage the rise of the far right amongst our own local population.
I don’t think referring to all of the divvies there last night as ‘far right’ would be accurate. It gives the impression that they had some thoughts in their tiny brains. I have no doubt that there were XRW fools there but many would just hate the police and be up for violence. Reform appears to have split the Tory vote in Southport, to the benefit of Labour. How do you think that police and councils should manage this rise?
The far right saw an opportunity to cause trouble and took it.
While being a generally welcoming society there are issues around how to integrate people from different backgrounds that need to be discussed openly to diffuse tensions. We rely on our politicians and community leaders to provide leadership and set an example.
Whether our current set of local politicians have the expertise and will to provide that leadership remains to be seen.
Thanks for that reporting, It has been hard to find out exactly what was going on. It was shocking and upsetting watching the scenes on the telly. At least the young woman in your video offers some hope in such a depressing story.
It's a tragedy what happened to those little girls and women, then to top it all you get mindless idiots causing mayhem for god sake stay away and let the community and families grieve.
Great piece - when you see plenty in the thick of the scenes wearing sliders and flip-flops, it’s safe to assume that there are people willing to shit on their own doorstep.
A decent argument needs to be made for SM companies to pro-actively target disinformation, especially that which is likely to lead to violence - that and the judicial system to have the teeth to deal with those who willingly spread it.
It doesn't help that in recent years we have had politicians like Suella Braverman who seemed to spew poison every time she opened her mouth. And that is when she was Home Secretary! When senior politicians are carrying on like that it must give the likes of the EDL the feeling that they have friends in high places.
I'm in disbelief today that I see people offering to help with the post-riot cleanup who have in the days and weeks before this been sharing pro-Ref*rm, Far*ge content on their Facebook timelines. As they might say unironically "join the dots".
Have to say "very well done" to all our brave patriotic defenders, where woukd we be without you to look after our well being? Interesting analogy, they talk about honouring the memory of the three children, so how do they go about it? By smashing down walls and looting shops & attempting to demolish a mosque & harming anybody who may have been inside, and also using the debris to attack the police. Obviously the one thing membership doesn't require is brain cells!
In Liverpool today the Save the Kids protest was at the Pier Head - and the counter protest, a few antifa and assorted left wing groups, were at St Georges Hall.
Police allowed the protestors at St Georges Hall to walk up to Water Street and try and attack the Save the Kids protestors.
The media will say one thing - the police obviously will say its not their fault.
But I ask you - do you think it's a good police tactic to allow the confrontation to happen?
It was a peaceful protest at Pier Head. I was there. I also mingled with the antifa and so on later when they stayed behind hoping for a fight. Quite a few masked up - much more than any protestors from the Save the Kids rally.
Cooler heads need to prevail here in Liverpool. The police made a tactical blunder by allowing the protestors from one side to march right up to the other side.
Someone wanted chaos and police tactics today were pretty bad IMO.
I'll write more about it - and present the videos of the days events, from the peaceful start at the Pier Head to the police stewarding counter protestors to antagonise and provoke.
Absolute rubbish. Counter protestors came to chant, your lot chose to respond with violence. There’s so much footage of the events that your lies can’t work. We all saw how your lot chose to descend into violence. Blaming the actions of your violent group on counter protestors and the police is frankly embarrassing.
After the Pier Head “protest” when the counter protesters went home none of you said a peep about kids and instead focused on Islamophobia and attacking the police well into the night.
You know and I know, antifa, anarchists and communists don't just want to chant. They want to wipe out what they perceive as fascism. They were hoping their crowd battered the Save our Kids protestors.
I was there. Many on your side thought they could repeat the actions of the past in which the left and its associates turned violent and threw missiles at what many perceive to be 'far right'. You celebrated it with Benny Hill music blared out of a megaphone a few years back.
But in recent years things have changed. Although Liverpool is associated with the left wing - crooked politicians have ruined the brand. Liverpool is no longer a left wing city.
When you got to the top of Water St. the police line stopped any physical confrontation from happening. But marching there was designed to antagonise. I don't know how the police worked out such a happening was somehow in the interest of public order.
Islamophobia is fake news. Phobia is irrational fear - fearing a 6th century attitude being imported en masse in the 21st century is not irrational. The left helped cover up mass rape gangs also - this also invalidates your brand.
British people like Palestinians do not want to be strangers in our own land.
As the media screams about a burning police van (the sacrificial van) and the Echo runs back to back news about 'right wing' and 'riots' - lets check out some news in Kirkby today.
A man is set on fire, by causes as yet unknown in Kirkby's Webster Park. But it's not major news. Liverpool Echo has it as the 30th news item on the front page.
Amazon gummies are No 6 on the page.
Rumours abound but I'll not partake. As the poor man fights for his life in hospital - my prayers for him and for his family if any. This would be major news a while back - but now nobody seems to care. Most reporters are dogs who do their masters bidding.
I, like the vast majority of Southport residents, was horrified by the events here on Monday lunchtime. Little girls being just that, were viciously attacked and sadly, some fatally. I was one od many hundreds who attended the vigil outside the Atkinson, yesterday evening. It was heartbreaking, peaceful and very dignified, as was befitting the occasion. To think, that less than two hours later, people were attacking a mosque, setting fire to vehicles, destroying garden walls to use the bricks as missiles. Just who did they think they were representing. I am English born and bred, and I for one would prefer to live peacefully among people of all nationalities, rather than the thugs who hijacked a tragic occurrence for their own ends.
It was not a 'tragic occurrence' it was a targeted murderous attack on children.
We will not know the reason why he murdered children till next year.
People and media and police and politicians use watered down language to describe this atrocious slaughter, up close and personal.
“out of town thugs” - Reform came 2nd or 3rd place in a majority of constituencies across Merseyside. They came 3rd place in Southport. I fear the government, councils and police are refusing to see or manage the rise of the far right amongst our own local population.
I don’t think referring to all of the divvies there last night as ‘far right’ would be accurate. It gives the impression that they had some thoughts in their tiny brains. I have no doubt that there were XRW fools there but many would just hate the police and be up for violence. Reform appears to have split the Tory vote in Southport, to the benefit of Labour. How do you think that police and councils should manage this rise?
The far right saw an opportunity to cause trouble and took it.
While being a generally welcoming society there are issues around how to integrate people from different backgrounds that need to be discussed openly to diffuse tensions. We rely on our politicians and community leaders to provide leadership and set an example.
Whether our current set of local politicians have the expertise and will to provide that leadership remains to be seen.
Brilliant
Perfect pitch. Thank you
Thanks for that reporting, It has been hard to find out exactly what was going on. It was shocking and upsetting watching the scenes on the telly. At least the young woman in your video offers some hope in such a depressing story.
It's a tragedy what happened to those little girls and women, then to top it all you get mindless idiots causing mayhem for god sake stay away and let the community and families grieve.
Great piece - when you see plenty in the thick of the scenes wearing sliders and flip-flops, it’s safe to assume that there are people willing to shit on their own doorstep.
A decent argument needs to be made for SM companies to pro-actively target disinformation, especially that which is likely to lead to violence - that and the judicial system to have the teeth to deal with those who willingly spread it.
Thanks for the reporting, Jack. A horrible story with a disgusting postscript. I hope your next assignment is more pleasant.
It doesn't help that in recent years we have had politicians like Suella Braverman who seemed to spew poison every time she opened her mouth. And that is when she was Home Secretary! When senior politicians are carrying on like that it must give the likes of the EDL the feeling that they have friends in high places.
I'm in disbelief today that I see people offering to help with the post-riot cleanup who have in the days and weeks before this been sharing pro-Ref*rm, Far*ge content on their Facebook timelines. As they might say unironically "join the dots".
Have to say "very well done" to all our brave patriotic defenders, where woukd we be without you to look after our well being? Interesting analogy, they talk about honouring the memory of the three children, so how do they go about it? By smashing down walls and looting shops & attempting to demolish a mosque & harming anybody who may have been inside, and also using the debris to attack the police. Obviously the one thing membership doesn't require is brain cells!
In Liverpool today the Save the Kids protest was at the Pier Head - and the counter protest, a few antifa and assorted left wing groups, were at St Georges Hall.
Police allowed the protestors at St Georges Hall to walk up to Water Street and try and attack the Save the Kids protestors.
The media will say one thing - the police obviously will say its not their fault.
But I ask you - do you think it's a good police tactic to allow the confrontation to happen?
It was a peaceful protest at Pier Head. I was there. I also mingled with the antifa and so on later when they stayed behind hoping for a fight. Quite a few masked up - much more than any protestors from the Save the Kids rally.
Cooler heads need to prevail here in Liverpool. The police made a tactical blunder by allowing the protestors from one side to march right up to the other side.
Someone wanted chaos and police tactics today were pretty bad IMO.
I'll write more about it - and present the videos of the days events, from the peaceful start at the Pier Head to the police stewarding counter protestors to antagonise and provoke.
Absolute rubbish. Counter protestors came to chant, your lot chose to respond with violence. There’s so much footage of the events that your lies can’t work. We all saw how your lot chose to descend into violence. Blaming the actions of your violent group on counter protestors and the police is frankly embarrassing.
After the Pier Head “protest” when the counter protesters went home none of you said a peep about kids and instead focused on Islamophobia and attacking the police well into the night.
'Counter protestors came to chant'
You know and I know, antifa, anarchists and communists don't just want to chant. They want to wipe out what they perceive as fascism. They were hoping their crowd battered the Save our Kids protestors.
I was there. Many on your side thought they could repeat the actions of the past in which the left and its associates turned violent and threw missiles at what many perceive to be 'far right'. You celebrated it with Benny Hill music blared out of a megaphone a few years back.
But in recent years things have changed. Although Liverpool is associated with the left wing - crooked politicians have ruined the brand. Liverpool is no longer a left wing city.
When you got to the top of Water St. the police line stopped any physical confrontation from happening. But marching there was designed to antagonise. I don't know how the police worked out such a happening was somehow in the interest of public order.
Islamophobia is fake news. Phobia is irrational fear - fearing a 6th century attitude being imported en masse in the 21st century is not irrational. The left helped cover up mass rape gangs also - this also invalidates your brand.
British people like Palestinians do not want to be strangers in our own land.
As the media screams about a burning police van (the sacrificial van) and the Echo runs back to back news about 'right wing' and 'riots' - lets check out some news in Kirkby today.
A man is set on fire, by causes as yet unknown in Kirkby's Webster Park. But it's not major news. Liverpool Echo has it as the 30th news item on the front page.
Amazon gummies are No 6 on the page.
Rumours abound but I'll not partake. As the poor man fights for his life in hospital - my prayers for him and for his family if any. This would be major news a while back - but now nobody seems to care. Most reporters are dogs who do their masters bidding.
What the hell is happening in the UK? ✝️