LONDON — People in Southport, England, gathered Sunday for the first of the funerals for three girls killed during a dance class, remembering the radiant smile of 9-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar and calling for an end to the riots that have convulsed Britain since the attack two weeks ago.
Hundreds of mourners filled St. Patrick’s Catholic Church and poured into the street, which had been decorated with pink ribbons and balloons in Alice’s honor. Police Chief Serena Kennedy was among them and delivered the message to parents that no one should commit acts of violence in the name of their daughter.
“I am ashamed and very sorry that you had to consider this when planning the funeral of your beautiful daughter, Alice,” said Kennedy, who heads Merseyside Police, which covers the area around Liverpool. “And I hope that anyone who took part in the violent disorder on our streets over the last 13 days will hang their heads in shame at the pain they have caused you, a grieving family.”
Far-right activists have used misinformation about the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class that killed Alice as a pretext for anti-immigrant protests. Rioting and looting occurred as mobs attacked mosques, immigrant-owned shops and hotels housing asylum seekers. The riots have been fueled by social media users who spread misinformation about the suspect in the July 29 stabbing.
Rumors, later debunked, quickly circulated online that the suspect was an asylum seeker or Muslim immigrant. The suspect was born in Wales and moved to the Southport area in 2013. His parents were originally from Rwanda.
He The violence calmed down on Wednesday. when Far-right demonstrations expected in dozens of places in Britain they failed to materialise. Instead, peaceful anti-racism protesters showed up in force.
But on Sunday, the focus was on Alice.
Her parents, Sergio and Alexandra, described Alice as a “perfect dream girl” who loved animals and moved through the world with confidence and empathy.
“We feel a shock, an unimaginable pain, we miss them,” they said in a tribute read on their behalf. “Every once in a while, the pin drops. When mom says ‘Good night Sergio, good night Alice’, and then she hits us again. “We didn’t listen to you.”
Jinnie Payne, principal of Churchtown Primary School, recalled that Alice once decorated a teacher’s classroom pointer like a magic wand and described the seven “Alice qualities” she wanted all students to have.
These included having a big smile, a genuine interest in others and treating everyone equally.
“This has to be my favorite, how a child at such a young age couldn’t favor one friend over another,” he told the congregation. “Friends, she played equally with everyone. “That’s very difficult to do and she mastered it.”
But she also loved to dance.
On Sunday, her parents posted a photo of Alice standing next to a cardboard cutout of Swift while waiting for her last dance class to start.
“It’s time to say ‘there goes Alice,'” Payne said through tears. “Now we’ll let you go dance, Alice. Teach those angels some dance steps.”
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