Just down the road, hundreds more convened outside the Southport town hall for a vigil held to remember the deceased, 6-year-old Bebe King, 7-year-old Elsie Stancombe, and 9-year-old Dasilva Aguiar. In contrast, it was a peaceful event focused on ensuring the community and impacted families had the support they needed to get through the tragedy.
Footage of the protest captured showed attendees throwing whatever they could get their hands on at officers and vehicles. Among the items being whipped towards them were bricks, buckets, and rubbish bins.
A short time later, officers were forced to retreat and one of the vehicles was set on fire, an act which garnered cheers from the crowd.
The violence prompted a response from the Merseyside Police.
"Yesterday, our officers and other members of the emergency services were faced with one of the most difficult situations they will ever face," Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss said, per the Independent. "Tonight, they find themselves being attacked as they endeavor to prevent disorder. The actions in Southport tonight will involve many people who do not live in the Merseyside area or care about the people of Merseyside."
He noted that, "There has been much speculation and hypothesis around the status of a 17-year-old male who is currently in police custody, and some individuals are using this to bring violence and disorder to our streets," adding, "We have already said that the person arrested was born in the UK and speculation helps nobody at this time."
Not everyone in the area was supportive of a protest being held the day after the attack.
"There's time for protesting, there's time for politics, and there's time to just support the families and pray for the famoles and the community, and that's the main reason I came here today," Pastor Rikki Doolan told StreetMic Live prior to the event. "Of course the politics and the rest of it, there's a time for that. We're not gonna let this fly, but now I don't feel is the time. Now is the time to comfort the community."
The atmosphere at the vigil was far calmer, with attendees standing in solidarity with those immediately affected by the incident.
"I think about the families, the friends, the loved ones, those directly impacted, and of course the wider community here," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, "but there's no pretending that anybody in the country is not untouched by what happened yesterday."
According to the BBC, neighbors of the suspect said his parents come from the African nation to the United Kingdom prior to his birth, and went on to build a life for themselves in Wales before moving up to Lancashire. After allegedly carrying out the attack, he was taken into custody.
Earlier Tuesday, a 32-year-old man carrying a bladed weapon was apprehended by police. No injuries were reported, and there has been no indication that the two incidents are in any way connected.
