‘Information vacuum’ about Southport stabbing led to ‘false stories’ and unrest

The fatal knife attacks on three girls and the injuries to ten others sparked unrest both in Merseyside and across the country

The terrorism watchdog warned that an “information vacuum” in high-casualty incidents such as the Southport stabbing could lead to false stories being circulated. Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, called for more information to be made public in the event of attacks to prevent trust in public organisations being undermined.

Mr Hall said one of the problems highlighted by the Southport stabbing, which sparked unrest in Merseyside and across the country, was the lack of information. Three young children – Bebe King, Alice Da Silva Aguiar and Elsie Dot Stancombe – died and several other people were seriously injured in the stabbing at a Taylor Swift dance party in Southport on July 29.

Speaking at a conference organised by the Counter Extremism Group think tank, Hall said public organisations such as police, government and the media would lose public trust if “there is a perception that things are being covered up, and that is exactly what the conspiracy theorists and the complainers are counting on”.

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As first reported by the Times, which was present at the conference, Hall said that people “undoubtedly took advantage of the information vacuum by circulating false stories. And they seem to have incited people, enraged them, and incited them to these really bad attacks by the lack of information in a situation where people were dying.”

On June 30, the day after the stabbing, a peaceful protest was held in Southport for the young girls who had been killed. However, around 1,000 people gathered near a mosque about half a mile from the scene and considerable unrest broke out. Police officers were attacked, a police vehicle was set on fire and the windows and front walls of the mosque were destroyed.

The following weekend, a march in Liverpool city centre, billed as a peaceful demonstration to “save our children”, turned violent. More police officers were attacked and families with young children were forced to flee as rioters broke through police lines. Later that day, another crowd gathered on County Road in Walton and set fire to the Spellow library and community centre.

This led to riots in many cities across the UK. Over 100 people have been arrested in connection with the Merseyside riots, and almost 50 of them have been sentenced to prison terms totalling over 100 years.

Liverpool's chief judge, the Honourable Judge of Liverpool Andrew Menary KC, said the riots were fuelled by false information about the alleged ethnicity, nationality and religion of the alleged attacker. The judge said the riots had been “used as a pretext for widespread violence, intimidation and damage”.

The UK has extremely strict and harsh contempt of court laws. Once a suspect has been charged and appeared in court, very little information can be released so as not to prejudice the legal process. However, as reported by the Times, Mr Hall said: “One of the problems and consequences of the attack in Southport was that there was an information gap, a vacuum that was filled with false speculation.”

“Personally, I think more information could have been released without jeopardizing a possible criminal case.” The stabbing is not classified as a terrorist attack and the motive is currently unknown.

Axel Rudakubana, now 18, of Banks in Lancashire, was charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder and possession of a knife. When he appeared at Liverpool Crown Court, the Recorder of Liverpool automatically lifted his anonymity, which allowed media organisations to name him even though he was still a child.

Judge Menary described the allegations against the teenager as “shocking” and said they “could hardly be more serious”. He said there was a “real and legitimate public interest in the identity of the accused” and that allowing the press to use his name “would help to dispel misinformation that exists, particularly on the internet”.