In a genteel seaside resort town more than 10 days ago three little girls, Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, were murdered at a dance party. Many more were injured. Those families are grieving in a way that is unimaginable for most of us. To lose a child in violent circumstances is any parent’s worst nightmare. My heart is with them in Southport.
A 17 year old has been charged with murder and attempted murder. It is right that the criminal justice system does its work.
Yet when the nation’s focus should be on the terrible events at that Taylor Swift party and ensuring justice is done, racist thugs and criminals have stirred up and committed appalling acts of violence, first in Southport and then in towns and cities across England and Northern Ireland. Community assets such as a library and a citizen’s advice bureau have been torched, shops have been looted, mosques have been targeted and Muslims and ethnic minorities have been attacked.
While the thugs and racists stir up trouble, communities are resisting by showing their strength. The neighbours keeping the flowers alive in the bouquets laid for the girls in Southport, the people who swept up the mess after the riots in Sunderland, who stood to protect the mosques in Liverpool and Darlington and who are raising thousands to replace the books in the burned out libraries. And now the huge shows of peaceful strength in cities across the country.
These are examples that demonstrate the best of Britain: we are stronger when we understand what we have in common rather than focusing on that which divides us.
Initially the violence was stirred up by misinformation, spread by keyboard warriors who thrive on division. But as it became clear the thugs have been targeting people because of their race or religion, no one can claim they don’t know what has been driving the violence.
I share the relief of many in Thanet that disturbances have not happened here. And it’s good when people tell me they believe we as a community are better than that. But we must be eternally vigilant and guard against the language and intolerance that inspires such violence.
There is literally no “legitimate concern” that justifies the violence and carnage that we have seen over the last week. It helps no one, least of all the grieving families of the little girls in Southport.
There are real issues with crime, especially knife crime, that blights communities and destroys families of all ethnicities. This government was elected on a platform to tackle them: banning zombie knives, addressing youth crime and pledging to halve the rate of violence against women and girls.
Reducing crime was made harder by the events of this week. Police have been attacked when we need to recruit more of them.
People who have been born here or lived here for years, who value the British values of tolerance and mutual respect, who ask for nothing but the chance to live peacefully and safely, have been in hiding in fear this week. That is a mark of shame.
Many residents have been in touch with me, anxious about what these events say about us as a country as well as about the issues of crime in our community. I say to them and to everyone in Thanet: if you want to build a stronger community where everyone is safe, with less crime and greater understanding between people, that is possible. People have responded with humanity in the face of violence. The determination among Thanet residents to build a strong community is similar and is the reason I am hopeful for our community and our country.
