Speedy release of Liverpool parade suspect's race, ethnicity ‘unprecedented'
The speed at which police released the race and ethnicity of the suspect in the Liverpool
car incident is 'unprecedented', a former chief superintendent has said.
Merseyside police confirmed they had a arrested a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area around two hours after the incident that left dozens of people including four children hurt.
The force was criticised in the wake of the
Southport murders last summer for not releasing more information after false rumours were started online that the killer was a Muslim asylum seeker.
Former Metropolitan Police chief superintendent Dal Babu told BBC Radio 5 Live: 'What we do have, which is unprecedented, is the police very quickly giving the ethnicity and the race of the person who was driving the vehicle … and it was Merseyside police who didn't give that information with the Southport horrific murders of those three girls, and the rumours were that it was an asylum seeker who arrived on a boat and it was a Muslim extremist and that wasn't the case.
'So I think what the police have done very, very quickly, and I've never known a case like this before where they've given the ethnicity and the race of the individual who was involved in it, so I think that was to dampen down some of the speculation from the far-right that sort of continues on X even as we speak that this was a Muslim extremist and there's a conspiracy theory.'
03:11
Anti-racism protests sweep UK after far-right riots against immigration
Anti-racism protests sweep UK after far-right riots against immigration
In March, chief constable Serena Kennedy told British MPs she wanted to dispel disinformation in the immediate aftermath of the Southport murders by releasing information about the attacker Axel Rudakubana's religion, as he came from a Christian family, but was told not to by local crown prosecutors.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
10 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Number of migrants reaching UK in small boats in a single day hits a 2025 high
UK government figures on Sunday showed that more than 1,100 migrants arrived in the country on Saturday in small boats from France across the English Channel, the highest number recorded on a single day so far this year. The latest Home Office figures show that 1,194 migrants arrived in 18 boats on Saturday, bringing the provisional annual total so far to 14,811. That is 42 per cent higher than the same point last year, an increase that has piled pressure on the Labour government, which returned to power nearly a year ago partly on disillusionment with the previous Conservative administration's efforts to get a grip on the numbers making the crossing. Having ditched the Conservative government's plan to send migrants who arrived in the UK by unauthorised means to Rwanda , Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government would get control by smashing the gangs and the business models that sustain their smuggling operations. Since gaining power, Starmer's government has sought better intelligence-sharing internationally, enhanced enforcement operations in northern France and has adopted tougher rules in its immigration legislation. French police officers were seen watching on Saturday as migrants boarded at a beach in Gravelines, between Calais and Dunkirk, and authorities were then pictured escorting the boats. French authorities said they rescued 184 people.
South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
UK bans single-use vapes to stem use by children and reduce harmful litter
A ban on disposable vapes came into force across the UK on Sunday as the British government aims to stem their use by children, reduce litter and prevent the leaking of harmful chemicals into the environment. The ban makes it illegal for any retailer – online or in-store – to sell vapes, whether they contain nicotine or not. They will still be able to sell reusable vapes. The crackdown follows the soaring use of disposable vapes in schools and a rising tide of rubbish as users dispose of the vapes. It is estimated that as many as 5 million disposable vapes are thrown in bins or littered every week across the UK , rather than being recycled. A number of countries are seeking to regulate the vape market, which has grown exponentially over the past decade or so. Australia outlawed the sale of vapes outside pharmacies last year in some of the world's toughest restrictions on electronic cigarettes, while Belgium became the first European country to ban the use of disposable vapes at the start of this year.
South China Morning Post
18 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
India arrests 81 for ‘sympathising' with Pakistan amid Kashmir conflict aftermath
Indian police have arrested scores of people for 'sympathising' with Pakistan , a month after the worst conflict between the arch-rivals for decades, a top government official said on Sunday. Advertisement The arrests took place in the northeastern state of Assam, where Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said '81 anti-nationals are now behind bars for sympathising with Pak'. Sarma, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's Hindu nationalist ruling party, said in a statement, 'our systems are constantly tracking antinational posts on social media and taking actions'. One of the persons was arrested after he posted a Pakistani flag on his Instagram, Assam police said. No further details about other arrests were given. Advertisement There has been a wider clampdown on social media since an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir , the deadliest on civilians in the contested Muslim-majority territory in decades. New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing the Islamist militants it said carried out the attack, charges that Pakistan denied.
