Current:Home > MarketsEnglish town of Southport mourns 9-year-old stabbing victim and calls for an end to unrest -FundWay
English town of Southport mourns 9-year-old stabbing victim and calls for an end to unrest
View
Date:2025-04-19 08:40:22
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! (5)
Related
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- DeSantis’ State of the State address might be as much for Iowa voters as it is for Floridians
- Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is inactive against the Ravens with playoff hopes on the line
- Horoscopes Today, January 5, 2024
- Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details
- Michael Bolton reveals he's recovering from a successful brain tumor removal
- Longtime New Mexico state Sen. Garcia dies at age 87; champion of children, families, history
- Gypsy Rose Blanchard Reveals What Makes Her and Husband Ryan Anderson's Marriage Work
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- A California law banning the carrying of firearms in most public places is blocked again
Ranking
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- Mark Cuban giving $35 million in bonuses to Dallas Mavericks employees after team sale
- Blinken opens latest urgent Mideast tour in Turkey as fears grow that Gaza war may engulf region
- Marc-Andre Fleury ties Patrick Roy for No. 2 in all-time wins as Wild beat Blue Jackets
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Is Georgia’s election system constitutional? A federal judge will decide in trial set to begin
- Halle Bailey Gives Birth, Welcomes First Baby With Boyfriend DDG
- Bangladesh’s main opposition party starts a 48-hour general strike ahead of Sunday’s election
Recommendation
Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
Nigel Lythgoe departs 'So You Think You Can Dance' amid sexual assault allegations
Volunteers work to bring pet care to rural areas with veterinary shortages
Glynis Johns, known for her role as Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins, dead at 100
Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
10 predictions for the rest of the 2024 MLB offseason | Nightengale's Notebook
Thousands of mourners in Islamabad attend funeral for Pakistani cleric gunned down in broad daylight
Mexico residents face deaths threats from cartel if they don't pay to use makeshift Wi-Fi narco-antennas