Hundreds of mourners gathered in Southport in northwest England on Sunday for the funeral of a nine-year-old girl who was killed in a knife attack last month that sparked more than a week of nationwide unrest.
Nearly two weeks after the mass stabbing that shocked the nation, family, friends, community leaders and emergency responders joined the parents of Alice da Silva Aguiar for an emotional ceremony at a Catholic church in the seaside town.
Attendees were asked to wear white, a tradition for some in Portugal, where Ellis’ parents live.
Locals standing on the main road applauded as the funeral procession passed by. The funeral procession consisted of a small white coffin, which was placed on a carriage drawn by two white horses.
“Of course we’re here – it’s the spirit of Southport,” said one man present. “We’re here to pay our respects.”
Pink ribbons and balloons were tied to lampposts and garden walls near the church.
Hundreds of people gathered inside the venue for the event, which included short addresses, readings, prayers and hymns that were broadcast via loudspeakers to those gathered outside.
Jinny Penn, the headteacher of the primary school where the nine-year-old attended, was among those who spoke emotionally.
“Alice, you will always be in our hearts,” he told those in attendance.
Two other girls — Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancomb, 7 — were killed and 10 others, including eight children, were injured in the July 29 mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
All the injured have been discharged from the hospital.
‘Unimaginable violence’
Bebe’s parents, Lauren and Ben King, told on Saturday how their “world has been shattered by the loss of our sweet daughter”.
“She was taken from us with unimaginable violence, leaving us with a heartbreak that can’t be repaired,” they said in a statement released through police. They added that she was “full of joy, light and love.”
The couple also revealed that their eldest daughter Ginny witnessed the attack and managed to escape.
The stabbing led to rioting in Southport the following evening, 30 July, and violence broke out in more than a dozen English towns and cities as well as in Northern Ireland over the following week.
Authorities have blamed the violence on far-right agitators and opportunistic “hooligans” who are accused of using the tragedy to advance their anti-immigration, anti-Muslim agenda.
In the immediate aftermath of the stabbing, misinformation spread online that the perpetrator was a Muslim immigrant.
British-born Axel Rudakubana has been charged with murder and attempted murder for the attack. His parents are from Rwanda, which is predominantly Christian.
The motive for the attack has not yet been revealed, but police have said it is not being treated as terrorism-related.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
