Southport – The IRU unequivocally condemns the heinous actions of the perpetrator of the Southport killings, and the actions of individuals representing from what we understand to be the far-right, who attacked a mosque as well as police who attempted to stop them.
These attacks followed false information on social media, which described the Southport killer as a Muslim. As we understand, this is not true.
This false narrative and its result is a chilling example of the reach of Islamophobia in the UK.
In the midst of this, the focus must be on the victims and their families. Our hearts go out to the families of the children killed in Southport, both those that are tragically mourning their lost children, and those whose family members are still fighting for their lives.
We also wish to commend the bravery of the two adults who were injured whilst trying to protect the children and who we understand are in critical condition.
We call for calm and for diverse sections of the Southport community to come together.
Majid Iqbal, CEO of the IRU, said:
“No one group should seek vigilante justice anywhere in the UK against another group. The Police are there to arrest suspected perpetrators, and it is up to the CPS to prosecute such individuals with the full force of the law and according to due process.”
“We support all such actions, no matter the race, religion or any other characteristic (whether protected under the Equality Act or not) of perpetrators of such crimes.”
“The behaviour of the far-right mob in the wake of such an atrocity should be condemned across the board, without exception. It has distracted from the real issue: the horrific loss of life and resultant injury due to a criminal act that must be prosecuted in its own right, far removed from far-right Islamophobic tropes.”
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