We are horrified and sickened by the recent violent attack in Southport and the senseless loss of lives. Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguiar.
Violence against women and girls is endemic. Tackling violence against women and girls must be a top priority for the Government.
We are extremely concerned and appalled by the subsequent riot in Southport and many other communities across the UK since. Fuelled by the spread of racist disinformation online – propped up by tech platforms who financially gain from the virality of extremist content – the riots are Islamophobic and racist.
Words matter. The effects are now visible in the violence we have seen this week.
Dehumanising, divisive and racist language has become normalised. This anti-Muslim, anti-asylum-seeker and anti-migrant hostility has not emerged from a vacuum: it has been shaped and fuelled by successive draconian asylum policies and laws and stoked by some politicians and elements of the media.
This harms us all.
The communities that are being targeted by the racist far-right must be protected, and all those responsible for the deplorable violence held accountable.
We urge all politicians to immediately reject the dangerous tactics of dog-whistle politics and the scapegoating of marginalised communities, such as those seeking safety in the UK.
As always, we stand with all those affected by violence against women and girls.