Southpart Stabbings and Their Influences

The term “right wing” first originated during the French Revolution, when the members of the French National Assembly met in the summer of 1789 to draft the Constitution.

There was a split decision on seating; those in support of the monarchy, conservative ideologies, and the reign of King Louis XVI sat to the right of the presiding officer, marking their territory. The liberals or anti-royals sat to the left, as they did not want to associate themselves with the monarchy or oppositional ideologies. This is how the formation of the “left wing ideology” as more liberal and “right wing ideology” as more conservative came to be. In today's world, politics is split between the two.

Right wing extremists, who have been known to express their views quite vividly via threats, organized group attacks, and so on, have had their effect on the majority. Statistically, it is indeed the right wing of countries such as the United Kingdom that harbor a greater threat to citizens than other political groups.

The United Kingdom’s currently divided ideologies may serve as an example for right wing extremism, with the Southport stabbings highlighting just how crucial it may be to address this issue.

Southport Stabbings

On Monday, the 29th of July, Alice Dasilva (age nine),  Bebe King (age six), and Elsie Dot Stancombe (age seven) were fatally stabbed while attending a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport, United Kingdom. While eight other children suffered knife wounds, five are in critical condition. The dance instructor, Leanne Lucas (aged 35), and a nearby shop owner, Jonathan Hayes, were both injured during this incident.

As of now, a 17 year old Welsh boy named Axel Huganwa Rudakubana was charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder, possession of a bladed article, and the attempted murder of eight other children, as well as two adults.

Axel Huganwa Rudakubana appeared at Liverpool city’s magistrate court on the morning of August 1st, and later at Liverpool crown court, where he was remanded into a youth detention center until 25th October 2024, when a pre-trial preparation hearing will take place in which he will be tried as an adult.

The Consequences

Since the Southport stabbings, there has been major unrest in Southport, Central London. So far, over a hundred arrests have been made with regards to the protests of right winged demonstrators. The protests and gatherings started after an influencer on X who posts under the name “Lord Simon” became the first to call for nationwide protests. The influencer is associated  with Yaxley Lennon, a renowned right wing extremist.

Yaxley Lennon was arrested on the 28th of July, 2024, at the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone, and was released on unconditional bail (unconditional bail refers to a situation where there are no restrictions or conditions imposed on defendants). The influencer “Lord Simon”  promoted false claims that the alleged Southport attacker had been an asylum seeker, and that he was a Muslim who had recently arrived in the UK by boat.

The protesters have shown a clear pattern, with multiple influencers within different social circles making false claims about the identity of the attacker, instigating shock and condemnation. Far right activists beyond Merseyside saw an opportunity within the Southport tragedy to make their ideas known on major social media platforms.

Popular slogans chanted by the protesters are “ No face, No case, Protect your identity” with them even going so far as to call for “mass deportations' '. Followers of smaller groups, including Patriotic Alternative, have organized anti-immigrant demonstrations as well as promoted the Southport attack protests.

Demonstrators have launched flares towards the gates of Downing Street, and at a statue of Winston Churchill, saying slogans such as “stop the boats” and “save our kids” as they threw bottles and cans at the officers. Additionally, the unrest near the mosque in Southport on the 31st of July and nearby buildings has reached its heights.

Mosques around the UK are under serious danger and are more susceptible to violence from the protesters than ever. They have been increasing security measures in order to ensure their safety.

Prime minister Keir Starmer condemned the “tiny mindless minority in society” who caused such chaos and unrest in the nation, as he announced a response to the violent disorder with a new “national policy”.

Demonstrations are expected in the following cities :

●      Liverpool         

●      Glasgow

●      Lancaster

●      Blackburn

●      Newcastle

●      Birmingham

●      Sunderland

●      Dover

●       Middlesborough

●      Leeds

●      Hull

The UK is only going to see more violence and suffering, as these protests seem to be becoming a bigger issue day by day. The public can only hope that this issue is resolved in time, and no more lives are endangered.