WORLD
What did Taylor Swift say about the Southport stabbing that left three children dead
The northwest seaside town remain in shock after three children were stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. The singer has posted a message to all those affected.
It had already been an atypical summer for residents in Southport, the quaint, sleepy Victorian seaside resort 18 miles up the northwest coast from Liverpool. An unseasonably cold and wet one. But no one could have imagined the horror that unfolded on Monday morning. A group of young children had been making the most the school holidays, dancing, making friends and having fun at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop, when a 17-year-old male, hood up and face covered, let himself in and began randomly stabbing defenceless kids and their dance tutors.
Two children died in what police described as “a ferocious attack” and a third died from her injuries today. The victims have been named as: Alice Aguiar (9), Elsie Dot Stancombe (7) and Bebe King (6). Six other children and two adults remain in hospital with stab wounds, some of them in a critical condition.
Details about the knifeman, who has been detained by Merseyside Police, have started to emerge. His family had moved to the UK from Rwanda and it is believed that he and his brother were born in Wales but had relocated to Southport. He is being held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
Taylor Swift in shock at Southport knife attack
On Tuesday, Taylor Swift took to social media to express her own grief and pass on her condolences and support to those who have been affected, writing on Instagram:
“The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously, and I’m just completely in shock. The loss of life and innocence, and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families”.
Swift was on Merseyside this summer, playing three sell-out shows at Anfield - some of those in attendance would have travelled down from Southport.
Two Taylor Swift fans, Cristina Jones & Holly Goldring, have set up a JustGiving page to help “raise money for the families affected by the tragedy and to raise funeral funds for the two young swifties who have tragically passed”. The page has already raised over £146,000 - well past its £13,000 target. Donations will be handled by Alder Hey Children’s Hospital’s Charity.
Brutal massacres on defenceless children and women like this just don’t happen in places like Southport. MP for Southport Patrick Hurley said: “Southport is a quiet seaside, coastal town. This has just sent shockwaves through the whole community. It’s a small place, everyone knows each other - a lot of families across the area will be impacted directly. I think at this stage we need to just reach out, make sure that there’s a level of community healing going on and make sure we give voice to the solidarity that people need right now”.