Faith leaders urge communities to ‘remember what unites us’

People need to “remain calm and peaceful” in the wake of the Southport knife attack and remember there is “far more that unites than divides us”, faith leaders have said.

Violent disorder has been seen in towns and cities across England since the attack on 29 July, which left three girls dead and ten others seriously injured.

In a statement, Merseyside’s faith leaders said the children’s families should be “at the forefront of all our thoughts” a week after the stabbings, which had “shocked and appalled” people of every faith and those of none.

However, they said “too many” had tried to create “division and hate” in the aftermath and urged people to “take pride in our community spirit again”.

Seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar and six-year-old Bebe King were killed in the stabbings during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on 29 July, and eight other children and two adults were seriously injured.

False claims have spread online that the person responsible was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat and a Muslim.

Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, from Banks in Lancashire, has been charged with three counts of murder, 10 attempted murders and possession of a curved kitchen knife.

The 17-year-old, who was born to Rwandan parents in Cardiff and moved to the Southport area in 2013, has no known links to Islam.

Violence erupted in the Merseyside seaside town on 30 July, with police blaming far-right groups, and it has since spread to other towns and cities across England.

Members of the public and police officers have been injured and asylum seekers’ accommodation, mosques and shops have been targeted.

More than 140 people have now been arrested nationwide.

In their statement, leaders from Merseyside’s Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Sikh communities said a week on from “that terrible day” should be a “time for quiet reflection and remembrance”, but “too many people” had sought to “use the tragedy to create division and hate”.

“Division can destroy the very relationships and environment that we depend upon every day of our lives and there is no place for hate in our communities,” they said.

“It can – and has – left communities in fear and has put people in danger.

“At this difficult time, let us remember that there is far more that unites than divides us.”

They said the examples set by those people who “came out to sweep the streets”, rebuild walls and “generously” donate money in memory of the three girls showed the “spirit that will help us through this incredibly challenging time”.

“We need to remain calm and peaceful at this time and as faith leaders, we are united in our desire for peace and justice,” they said.

“While the events of this week may continue to shake our belief in humanity, it remains intact.

“Now is the time to take pride in our community spirit again.”

Nine people have been charged in connection with the disorder in Southport, while on Sunday, three men were charged with violent disorder over the unrest in Liverpool.

In a speech on Sunday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said those who had participated in the violence would “face the full force of the law”.

The Home Office later announced a new security scheme for mosques, which allow those “at risk of violent disorder” to be able to request “rapid response” personnel.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the nation would not tolerate “criminal behaviour, dangerous extremism and racist attacks that go against everything our country stands for”.