Residents of Southport, England, gathered Sunday for the first funeral of three girls killed in a dance class, remembering the bright smile of 9-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar and calling for an end to the violence that has rocked Britain since the attack two weeks ago.
Hundreds of mourners packed St. Patrick's Catholic Church and spilled onto the street outside, which was decorated with pink ribbons and balloons in Alice's honor. Police Chief Serena Kennedy was among the mourners, and she delivered a message to parents that no one should commit an act of violence in the name of their daughter.
“I am ashamed and deeply sorry that you have had to consider this in 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 participated in the chaos that has taken place on our streets over the past 13 days will be ashamed of the pain they have caused you, the grieving families.”
Far-right activists have used misinformation about the attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class that killed Alice as a pretext for anti-immigrant demonstrations. The demonstrations turned violent and looted as mobs attacked mosques, immigrant-owned stores and hotels housing asylum seekers. The unrest was fueled by social media users spreading false information about the suspect in the July 29 stabbing.
A rumor that was later denied, which quickly circulated widely. onlinesaid the suspect was an asylum seeker, or a Muslim immigrant. The suspect was born in Wales and moved to the Southport area in 2013. His parents are from Rwanda.
Violence subsided on Wednesday as anticipated far-right demonstrations at dozens of locations across Britain failed to materialise. Instead, peaceful anti-racism protesters turned out.
But on that Sunday, the focus was on Alice.
Her parents, Sergio and Alexandra, describe Alice as a “perfect dream child” who loves animals and navigates the world with confidence and empathy.
“We are in shock, in unimaginable pain, we miss you,” they said in a tribute read on their behalf. “From time to time, the pin drops. When mom says, ‘Good night, Sergio, good night, Alice,’ and we come back to our senses. We don’t hear your reply.”
Jinnie Payne, principal at Churchtown Primary School, remembers that Alice once decorated the teacher’s classroom bookmark as a magic wand and outlined seven “Alice qualities” she hoped each student would have.
These qualities include having a big smile, a genuine interest in others, and treating everyone equally.
“That’s definitely my favorite, how a kid at such a young age can’t just pick one friend over another,” she said. “That’s really hard to do, and she was able to do it.”
And she also likes to dance.
On Sunday, her parents released a photo of Alice standing next to a still of Swift as she waited for her final dance class to begin.
“The time has come to say, ‘This is Alice,’” Payne said through tears. “We’re going to let you go dancing now, Alice. Teach those angels some dance moves.” (about/after)
