(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
AFP
Southport, United Kingdom: King Charles III on Tuesday visited the town in northwest England where a devastating knife attack that killed three young girls sparked nationwide anti-immigration riots.
The 75-year-old monarch inspected a vast sea of floral tributes to the victims and will also meet children who survived the attack in the seaside town of Southport.
Britain's King Charles III (C) meets with representatives from Merseyside's emergency services and local community groups at the Community Fire Station in Southport, northwest England, on August 20, 2024. (Photo by Scott Heppell / POOL / AFP)
Buckingham Palace said he wanted to thank "frontline emergency staff for their ongoing work serving local people".
Charles had earlier been criticised by some including historian Kate Williams for not issuing a public statement on the riots.
Although the monarch conveyed his condolences to the families of the three girls killed, he did not comment on the unrest until nearly two weeks later.
Traditionally, the monarch does not comment on anything that could cause political controversy.
But in calls with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and police chiefs, the king later said he had been "greatly encouraged" by the reaction "that countered the aggression and criminality from a few with the compassion and resilience of the many".
Footage showed the king waving to people as he walked through the town centre.
Britain's King Charles III (C) meets with representatives from Merseyside's emergency services and local community groups at the Community Fire Station in Southport, northwest England, on August 20, 2024. (Photo by Scott Heppell / POOL / AFP)
He was later set to meet regional leaders, representatives from the emergency services and others.
They will include local groups and faith leaders impacted by the violent disorder which hit Southport the day after the July 29 mass stabbing.
Charles was also due to meet privately with some of those caught up in the knife attack, which claimed the lives of three young girls, aged six, seven and nine, and injured 10 others, eight of them also children.
Britain's King Charles III signs a book of condolence during his visit to Southport Town Hall where he met with members of the local community following the July 29 attack at a childrens' dance party, in Southport, northwest England, on August 20, 2024. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / POOL / AFP)
The meeting was to include some of the surviving children who were present at the community centre, as well as their families. The children were attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class when an assailant entered the building and began attacking them.
Axel Rudakubana, who was aged 17 at the time, has been charged with murder and attempted murder over the stabbing spree.
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