Chief Rabbi and Board of Deputies condemn violence outside Southport mosque

— Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis (@chiefrabbi) July 31, 2024

The statement comes after some 200 protesters clashed with police outside the Southport Islamic Society Mosque on St Luke’s Road on Tuesday night in response to the mass stabbing attack on Monday that left three children dead and others seriously injured.

The violent confrontation, reportedly organised in response to unsubstantiated rumours circulating online that the attack’s assailant was a Muslim immigrant, resulted in more than 50 police officers being injured, according to a report in the Telegraph.

Witnesses described the incident and area, which on Wednesday morning still had bricks, fireworks, bottles, and a burnt-out police car strewn across it, as a “war scene”.

Riots have also broken out in London, Hartlepool and Manchester.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews has also condemned the riot outside the mosque for “inciting communal tensions”.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Board of Deputies (BoD) said it “unreservedly condemns the attack on the Southport Mosque, the targeting of its Muslim worshippers, and the harming of police officers. There can be absolutely no place for this kind of violence or agitation aimed at inciting communal tension.

“The horrific mass-stabbing attack which took place in the town earlier this week has been used as a pretext by the far-right to attack Muslims, apparently as a result of false claims spread via social media regarding the assailant. It is vital that our government considers, as part of its response to this rioting, how more can be done to stop the spread of online disinformation.”

Phil Rosenberg, who was elected as BoD President in May, has campaigned and advocated for stronger interfaith relations. One of his earliest jobs following Oxford University was as interfaith relations officer at the BoD, and he later served as director of the interfaith body Faiths Forum in London.

Ibrahim Hussein, chairman of Southport Mosque, was allegedly trapped inside the building with about eight others when the violence erupted. He was later escorted by police out of the mosque at around midnight.

He thanked police on Wednesday for defending the building from rioters and said he was “very sorry for the casualties that the police took”.

Liberal Judaism similarly said they were “saddened to see extremists using the grief of Southport to stoke hate and division – including yesterday’s targeting of a mosque in the town.

“The memories of the children who were murdered, and the deep loss and the pain of their families, must be honoured and respected. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

“At this time, we must support each other as communities and a country in grief. Any other response – especially attacks on those who had nothing to do with this awful crime – is to fail in our duty to those children and their loved ones.”

Rabbi David Mason, executive director of HIAS+JCORE, a leading Jewish organisation to support refugees and asylum seekers, said: “I know, as someone who is Jewish, how conspiracy theories and whipped up misinformation can be so hard, so disruptive for my community, for my people. So, there is a deep feeling of solidarity with the Muslim community for how they’re suffering from that misinformation.”

A statement from the organisation said they were “appalled” by “extremists” seeking to “exploit this grief to divide and stir hate against Muslims.

“We must stand together and say no to all hate and racism. For too long these narratives have been allowed freedom in our media and political debate.”

The 17-year-old assailant of the attack on children attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on Monday is currently being questioned by police.