Current:Home > FinanceEnglish town of Southport mourns 9-year-old stabbing victim and calls for an end to unrest -Streamline Finance
English town of Southport mourns 9-year-old stabbing victim and calls for an end to unrest
View
Date:2025-04-19 01:49:32
LONDON (AP) — The people of Southport, England, came together Sunday for the first of the funerals for three girls killed during a dance class, remembering 9-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar’s radiant smile and calling for an end to the unrest that has convulsed Britain since the attack two weeks ago.
Hundreds of mourners packed St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and spilled into the street outside, which had been decorated with pink ribbons and balloons in Alice’s honor. Chief Constable Serena Kennedy was among them and she delivered the parents’ message that no one should commit acts of violence in their daughter’s name.
“I am ashamed and I’m so sorry that you had to even consider this in the planning of the funeral of your beautiful daughter, Alice,” said Kennedy, who heads the Merseyside Police force, which covers the area around Liverpool. “And I hope that anyone who has taken part in the violent disorder on our streets over the past 13 days is hanging their head in shame at the pain that they have caused you, a grieving family.”
Far-right activists have used misinformation about the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class that killed Alice as a pretext for anti-immigrant demonstrations. They descended into riots and looting as mobs attacked mosques, shops owned by immigrants and hotels housing asylum-seekers. The disturbances have been fueled by social media users who spread misinformation about the suspect in the July 29 stabbing rampage.
Rumors, later debunked, quickly circulated online that the suspect was an asylum-seeker, or a Muslim immigrant. The suspect was born in Wales and moved to the Southport area in 2013. His parents were originally from Rwanda.
The violence calmed on Wednesday when far-right demonstrations anticipated in dozens of locations across Britain failed to materialize. Instead, peaceful anti-racism protesters showed up in force.
But on Sunday, the focus was on Alice.
Her parents, Sergio and Alexandra, described Alice as a “perfect dream child” who loved animals and moved through the world with confidence and empathy.
“We feel shocked, unimaginable pain, we miss you,’’ they said in a tribute read on their behalf. “From time to time, the pin drops. When mommy says ‘Good night, Sergio, good night Alice,’ and then it hits us all over again. We don’t hear you back.’’
Jinnie Payne, the headteacher at Churchtown Primary School, remembered that Alice once decorated a teacher’s classroom pointer as a magic wand and outlined the seven “Alice qualities” that she wished every student had.
Those included having a big smile, a genuine interest in others and treating everyone equally.
“This has to be my favorite, how a child at such a young age could not favor one friend over another,” she told the congregation. “Friends, she played equally with them all. That is so hard to do, and she mastered it.”
But she also loved to dance.
On Sunday, her parents released a photo of Alice standing next to a cardboard cutout of Swift as she waited for her last dance class to begin.
“The time has come to say ‘there goes Alice,’” Payne said tearfully. “We are letting you go dancing now, Alice. Teach those angels a few dance moves.”
veryGood! (9522)
Related
- Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear ready to campaign for Harris-Walz after losing out for spot on the ticket
- The Daily Money: Housing market shows some hope
- Chargers players rescued from 'inoperable elevator' by Dallas Fire-Rescue
- The price of gold hit a record high this week. Is your gold bar worth $1 million?
- Shilo Sanders' bankruptcy case reaches 'impasse' over NIL information for CU star
- LMPD officer at the scene of Scottie Scheffler's arrest charged with theft, misconduct
- Danny Jansen to make MLB history by playing for both Red Sox and Blue Jays in same game
- Takeaways from AP’s report on federal policies shielding information about potential dam failures
- Hidden Home Gems From Kohl's That Will Give Your Space a Stylish Refresh for Less
- Dr. Fauci was hospitalized with West Nile virus and is now recovering at home, a spokesperson says
Ranking
- Illinois Gov. Pritzker calls for sheriff to resign after Sonya Massey shooting
- Erica Lee Carter, daughter of the late US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, will seek to finish her term
- Macklemore Fan Arrested for Outstanding Warrant After She Was Invited Onstage
- Rare wild cat spotted in Vermont for the first time in six years: Watch video
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- Alabama man pleads guilty to detonating makeshift bomb outside state attorney general’s office
- Houston’s Plastic Waste, Waiting More Than a Year for ‘Advanced’ Recycling, Piles up at a Business Failed Three Times by Fire Marshal
- Texas, other GOP-led states sue over program to give immigrant spouses of US citizens legal status
Recommendation
'Survivor' 47 finale, part one recap: 2 players were sent home. Who's left in the game?
An attack at a festival in a German city kills 3 people and wounds 4 seriously, police say
Judge Mathis' wife Linda files for divorce from reality TV judge after 39 years together
Illinois Supreme Court upholds unconstitutionality of Democrats’ law banning slating of candidates
'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
Jannik Sinner parts way with team members ahead of US Open after positive doping tests
Isabella Strahan Poses in Bikini While Celebrating Simple Pleasures After Cancer Battle
Texas chief who called Uvalde response ‘abject failure’ but defended his state police is retiring