Southport violence

The recent anti-Muslim violence in Southport is truly disturbing and heartbreaking. The tragic killing of three young girls, as well as injuries to several other children and adults, has left a deep scar on the community. Instead of being allowed to grieve and heal, the town has been further distressed by opportunists and extremist elements. The exploitation of social media and internet platforms by far-right monsters — including at least one member of the House of Commons — to spread misinformation and incite violence is unacceptable. The peaceful vigil in honour of the victims was hijacked by rioters, and the police were attacked by thugs.

This kind of violence only adds to the trauma and suffering of an already grieving community. Amid all the disinformation, reputable news outlets have confirmed that the suspect was not an asylum seeker or a Muslim, but he was born and bred in the UK to immigrant parents from Rwanda and had lived in Southport since 2013. Several local sources have also gone to great lengths to establish — without running afoul of the law — that the attack has nothing to do with Islam, because the suspect was probably not Muslim or inspired by Muslim extremists. But the far-right thugs that hijacked the peaceful vigil don’t care about facts. They want “Islam out of the UK”. Just hours after losing her daughter, one of the mothers posted a message on social media pleading for peace. Even this did not stop the mob because the bigots in the street didn’t even care about the actual murder victims or their families.

The British government, to its credit, is looking into proscribing the group responsible — the English Defence League — under anti-terrorism laws. But in a shocking twist, a prominent disinformation researcher has tied the fake news websites, being blamed for originating the Muslim suspect lie, to either Pakistan or the US, based on its historical activity. If true, the government should seriously use its draconian media regulations to do some good in the world and punish those who would lie about the murders of children to make a quick buck.