Judgment time for stabbing murderer of three girls in Southport

Correspondent in London

The tragedy horrified the United Kingdom and triggered the wave of anti-migrant riots last summer. The murderer of three girls in Southport, in the northwest of England, will be sentenced today. But beyond the sentence, the case continues to cause serious political turmoil, with public opinion and the opposition believing that the government dragged its feet in providing information on the profile of the attacker, of foreign origin.

On July 29, Axel Rudakubana attacked three little girls aged 6, 7 and 9 with a knife during a dance class. Ten other people were injured in the attack, including eight children. Aged 18 and of Rwandan origin, Rudakubana pleaded guilty at the opening of his trial on Monday. The heaviness of the sentence is therefore assured.

During the riots which followed and lasted several days, hotels housing asylum seekers and mosques were targeted. Keir Starmer, elected a few days earlier, had promised the greatest firmness and to date, more than 410 people have been sentenced, including more than 360 to prison terms.

The political shock wave remains strong. Both the conservative opposition and Nigel Farage's anti-migrant Reform UK party are demanding accountability from the government. They want to know why the authorities kept the « silence » on the attacker's profile. On Monday, the Prime Minister responded that it was a question of not hindering the investigation, an explanation that was a bit short for many Britons. Unofficially, sources confided that it was a question of not adding fuel to the fire, while the country was on fire.

Very quickly, rumors spread on the Internet that the murderer was a migrant who had recently arrived by boat in the country and that he could have Islamist motivations. The authorities had severely pursued the “far-right agitators” broadcasting these ” fake news “. To find yourself in difficulty today. Because the murderer was certainly born in Wales but he is of foreign origin and he flirted with jihadism. Police found an al-Qaeda training manual and a highly toxic poison, ricin, at his home. The matter is, however, not treated as “terrorist”.

Public inquiry

As in the case of « grooming gangs »these gangs of Pakistani rapists who made thousands of victims among young English girls over a decade, Keir Starmer is accused of putting the lid on crimes whose perpetrators come from minorities. Under pressure, the Prime Minister spoke on Monday, preferring to focus the debate on the nature of the threat. He considered that the country was facing a “new form of terrorism”the danger moving from organized terrorist groups to “lone wolves”. A very relative novelty, this type of radicalized individuals has been rampant for a long time in many European countries. Starmer also said he was ready to change anti-terrorism laws.

Keir Starmer acknowledged “failures” and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced the opening of a public inquiry to examine the failings of state services in preventing the Southport murders. We already know that the murderer was well known to social services and the police for his violence which caused him to leave the school system. It had been reported three times to Preventan extremism prevention program. But each time, it was judged that he did not meet the criteria. The tabloid The Sun front page headline: “Why didn’t anyone stop him?” »

The government will have to redouble its efforts to restore confidence. A survey YouGov published yesterday shows that 61% of Britons do not have confidence in the authorities' ability to counter further attacks like those in Southport. And a study from the same institute indicates that more than three quarters of Britons are in favor of a national inquiry into the scandal of « grooming gangs »which Keir Starmer is currently refusing.