Aug. 20 (UPI) – Britain’s King Charles III was on his way to Southport in the north of the country on Tuesday to meet with survivors of a stabbing that killed three young girls and injured 10 others last month, sparking unrest across England and Northern Ireland.
In his first visit since the tragedy, Charles will personally thank emergency workers and hear from those affected by the killings and the violent unrest that followed. He will also pay a private visit to some of the children who survived the attack on Taylor Swift’s dance class, Buckingham Palace said.
The King, who expressed his “deep shock” in a statement at the time, will meet with members of the Southport community, local groups and religious leaders to underline his unwavering support for the victims of the July 29 attack and the violence and unrest that followed.
On Wednesday, he is scheduled to meet with the families of Bebe King (6), Elsie Dot Stancombe (7) and Alice Aguiar (9) in London. The two were killed by an attacker who entered the studio where the class was taking place and began stabbing children.
Charles later called for unity after the incident escalated into racially motivated street riots in dozens of cities, telling the prime minister and police chiefs he hoped “shared values of mutual respect and understanding would strengthen and unite the nation.”
The unrest began when a vigil for the victims in Southport was hijacked by right-wing extremists on the evening of July 30. They used false information circulating on the internet which falsely claimed that the perpetrator was an asylum seeker and a Muslim.
Riots and open clashes broke out with police who tried to stop a mob from storming the city’s mosque. More than 50 police officers were injured.
Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 18, from Banks, Lancashire, was charged on July 31 with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed weapon.
