Buildings across north-west England will light up pink this weekend in memory of those killed in the Southport attack – while Taylor Swift fans, Steven Gerrard and Anthony Gordon have been among those raising tens of thousands of pounds.
Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, six-year-old Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were killed when a knifeman attacked them during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on Monday.
Eight other children were injured along with two adults – yoga instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes – as tributes to the victims have continued.
Axel Rudakubana, 17, from Banks in Lancashire, has been charged with their murders and attempted murders and was publicly identified for the first time yesterday as he appeared in court.
Sefton Council has now said the Atkinson arts venue in Southport, outside which a vigil was held on Tuesday, would be one of a number of buildings to light up pink on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings in tribute to those who died.
A mother hugs her child as they look at floral tributes left for victims of the stabbings at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport which left three young girls dead
The victims killed on Monday were (left to right) Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and Bebe King, six
Landmarks including St George’s Hall and the Cunard Building in Liverpool, the Mersey Gateway Bridge and Chester Town Hall will also be illuminated, as well as hospitals across the North West.
It comes after the Southport Stronger Together appeal was launched by the Community Foundation for Merseyside, in partnership with Sefton Council and Sefton Council for Voluntary Service.
The appeal, which was launched with a £50,000 donation from the Liverpool ONE Foundation, aims to help those experiencing bereavement, serious injury, hardship or psychological issues who were directly impacted by the attack.
It will also offer help to community organisations working in Southport and this morning more than £76,000 had been raised for the appeal, one of several set up in the wake of the attack.
The Southport Dance Group Emergency Fund had raised more than £88,000 by Friday, with donations including £10,000 from former Liverpool and England footballer Steven Gerrard and a donation of the same amount from Three Lions and Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon.
More than £340,000 was raised by Taylor Swift fans who came together to raise money for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, where five of the children are still being cared for, in the Swifties for Southport appeal.
Sefton Council leader Marion Atkinson said: ‘We have seen overwhelming support and sympathy from communities far and wide.
‘The vigil on Tuesday evening was a touching and heartfelt moment we all shared and we continue to stand united for all of those families who are currently trying to deal with their unimaginable loss and care for victims injured.
Floral tributes are left for the victims of a deadly knife attack in Southport
The stabbing happened at a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop
Taylor Swift said she is ‘completely in shock’ after the ‘horror’ of the Southport knife attack
Fans of Taylor Swift, seen performing on stage during during her Eras tour at Anfield in Liverpool, have been raising money for Alder Hey Children’s Hospital
‘Lighting up our buildings is a display of the moving unity that we saw during Tuesday’s evening vigil in Southport town centre where the town came together to share their sadness and respect.’
US chart star Swift posted online a tribute of her own earlier this week, writing on social media of her ‘shock’ at the news.
She posted 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.’
When Rudakubana appeared before court yesterday, a provisional trial date at Liverpool Crown Court, set to last six weeks, was scheduled for January 20 next year.
He is next due to appear at Liverpool Crown Court on October 25 for a plea and trial preparation hearing and will be remanded in youth accommodation detention in the meantime.
Monday’s knife attack has sparked violent disorder in some towns and cities in England, including the capital London on Wednesday evening.
A man and a child look at floral tributes as Southport continues to mourn the tragedy
A message from Liverpool FC is seen among floral tributes for the victims
Floral tributes on the junction of Tithebarn Road and Hart Street in Southport, near the scene where the children were killed
Friendship bracelets popular with fans of Taylor Swift have been left, showing the names of the three victims Alice, Bebe, and Elsie and the words ‘bigger than the sky’
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer yesterday announced a new ‘national’ response to the clashes linking police forces across the country.
And Home Office minister Lord Hanson today told would-be rioters to ‘be prepared to face the full force of the law on this criminal activity’, as the prospect of more than a dozen more protests in the coming days looms.
He said forces have the powers under intelligence-led policing to track ‘people who may be travelling to cause trouble and to cause conspiracy’ and to use facial recognition technology and other evidence to bring prosecutions.
Asked how concerned the Government was about fresh unrest this weekend, Lord Hanson told LBC Radio: ‘There is that potential.
‘But I always say to anybody who’s organising this, we will be watching you. If you are organising this now, we will be watching you.
‘We have powers under existing legislation to stop you organising this now and to take action accordingly, and if you do take action and are not part of any organised group, be prepared to face the full force of the law on this criminal activity.’
Asked whether those involved are from the far right, he said: ‘Some individuals will have far-right opinions, in my view, some might be caught up in the summer madness. Some might be people who’ve got genuine concerns.’
He urged them to protest peacefully and raise issues with their MP, adding: ‘What they can’t do is throw rocks at police officers, break windows in mosques and attack people in the streets and undertake street robbery as happened in some of the shops in the in Southport. That is simply not acceptable.’
Friendship bracelets reading ‘Beautiful Swifties’ are seen next to electric tea lights amid floral tributes for the victims of a deadly knife attack at the Atkinson in Southport
Pictured for the first time: Southport stabbing suspect Axel Rudakubana, now 17, pictured as a child, is charged with murdering three little girls and the attempted murder of ten others
Rudakubana (pictured as a child) is charged with murdering the three little girls in Southport with a ‘curved kitchen knife’
A court artist drawing of Rudakubana covering his face as he appeared in the dock at Liverpool Crown Court
The PA news agency found evidence of at least 15 protests advertised online, some calling for participants to take England flags and containing phrases such as ‘enough is enough’, ‘save our kids’ and ‘stop the boats’.
The protests are being planned for areas such as Southport, Leeds and Bristol, while two counter-demonstrations are also being advertised online.
Liverpool City Region mayor Steve Rotheram said he was ‘concerned’ that there could be a ‘repeat of violence somewhere in the Liverpool City Region’.
But he added: ‘We know exactly what we’d need to do to ensure that these things are nipped in the bud.’
