Imam at Liverpool FC victory parade hits out at 'disgusting' rumours over car tragedy

The National

6 days ago

A British imam has hit out at social media posts blaming Muslims for the carnage at the Liverpool FC Premier League victory parade on Monday.
Adam Kelwick, who leads the Abdullah Quilliam Mosque in Liverpool, was at the parade with friends and family, when the tragedy happened. Four children were among 50 people injured, with one youngster seriously hurt, when a car drove into the crowd.
Mr Kelwick, who diffused tension in Liverpool during the Southport riots last year, warned that online fake news was already spreading about the perpetrator's identity.
Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said the 'horrific incident' was not being treated as terrorism following the arrest of a 53-year-old white British man at the scene.
Look at what happened in Southport, was that not enough?
Adam Kelwick
The force said the suspect was the driver of the car, and that he was from the Liverpool area.
Yet social media posts are falsely suggesting the detained man was a Muslim, and that police were concealing his identity, Mr Kelwick said.
'I'm very disappointed. When I went online like a lot of people, we saw the rumours they were starting to spread again,' he said in a social media post, while wearing a Liverpool T-shirt.
Liverpool had been celebrating their 20th Premier League title on Monday, and Mr Kelwick reminded followers that Mohammed Salah, who was named the league's Player of the Year, held the trophy on the bus.
He was worried that these online rumours could cause anti-Muslim riots as they did in August last year in the aftermath of the Southport stabbings.
Mosques and hotels hosting asylum seekers were attacked in August last year after fake news spread online that the Southport killer of three girls had been a Muslim asylum seeker. More than 1,511 arrests were made that week.
Mr Kelwick came into the spotlight then for inviting the rioters into his mosque for a meal, in an attempt to diffuse community tension.
But his patience appeared to have run out this time. 'I think it's disgusting to be honest. Look at what happened in Southport, was that not enough?' he said.
'When we saw the chaos on our streets, when we saw our city centres being smashed up, when we saw mosques being attacked, when we saw immigration centres being attacked and people's businesses. Was that not enough?'
He accused the people spreading those rumours of 'dragging' the incident 'into their narrative of turning people against each other'.
Mr Kelwick urged his followers to call out the fake news online, by messaging the person spreading it to correct their mistake.
But he was hopeful that Liverpool's communities would 'come together' to prevent a fall out.
'Since the riots last summer, we've come together with communities. People from all different parts of Liverpool who would never have mixed, never have met each other before, and we've built bridges, and we've built friendships,' he said.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he had spoken to the Mayor of Liverpool about the incident, adding: 'Everyone, especially children, should be able to celebrate their heroes without this horror.'
At a press conference late on Monday evening, Dave Kitchin from North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said 27 people were taken to hospital and 20 people were treated at the scene, with four children among the injured.
Nick Searle, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service chief fire officer, said four people who were trapped under the car, including a child, were rescued by firefighters.
Witness Mike Maddra told the PA news agency the 'car turned left, mounted pavement, come towards us and runs towards the buildings'. He said 'we got out the way and it was speeding up'.
Mr Maddra said he thought he saw two people being hit and added, 'it looked deliberate'.