The Outsiders
“The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously.” That’s how Taylor Swift responded to a heartbreaking mass stabbing that killed three children at a Swift-themed dance class in Southport, England. What followed is part of bigger story—impacting Europe and other places around the world—that combines the rise of the far right, political hate speech, an anti-immigrant fervor, and the social media driven spread of false news. WaPo: (Gift Article): Far-right rioters attack U.K. police, mosque amid false claims on stabbings. “Police said the riot in Southport on Tuesday night was stoked in part by social media posts that incorrectly alleged that the stabbing was perpetrated by a recent asylum seeker who had arrived in Britain by illegally crossing the English Channel on a raft. Amid reported chants of ‘We want our country back,’ rioters pelted police with bricks, injuring as many as 50 officers and sending 27 to hospitals. The rioters also smashed the windows of a mosque, torched vehicles and looted a shop. The violence, on the same day the town was holding a peaceful, heartrending vigil for the dead and injured girls, stunned Britain, where the stabbings have been round-the-clock news.”