Family of Southport Victim Condemns Disclosure of Suspect Ethnicity

The family of Bebe King, one of the victims of the Southport attack, has voiced strong opposition to the government's consideration of disclosing the ethnicity of suspects in serious crimes. They argue that such information is entirely irrelevant and that the tendency to commit crimes is not limited to any specific ethnicity, nationality, or race.

Bebe King, a six-year-old, was murdered by Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old Welsh-born black Briton. The attack, which occurred at a dance class, also resulted in the deaths of Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar, and injured several others, some of whom will never fully recover.

Michael Weston King, Bebe's grandfather, expressed the family's disappointment with the far-right's attempts to exploit the tragedy for political gain. He urged the government to reconsider its stance on disclosing the race and immigration status of high-profile suspects, a policy supported by certain political parties. He emphasized that the perpetrator's ethnicity or immigration status is inconsequential, as mental health issues and criminal behavior can affect individuals from any background.

Weston King highlighted the failures of various organizations that were aware of the perpetrator's behavior, as well as the previous government's lack of investment in anti-extremism programs. He believes these failures contributed to the tragedy.

The new police guidelines, which encourage the release of race and nationality information in high-profile cases, have been met with criticism. These guidelines followed a controversy over claims that the police concealed information about the immigration status of suspects in a child rape case. This led to a far-right rally and subsequent unrest.

Weston King stated that the family felt further let down by those who sought to exploit their tragedy for political gain. He also discussed the riots that erupted following the attack, fueled by online misinformation about the suspect. The judge's decision to publicly name the underage Rudakubana did not prevent the violence, which targeted mosques, hotels housing asylum seekers, and people of color.

Weston King expressed relief that those involved in the riots and the spread of online hate received prison sentences. He hopes that the government will reconsider its plan. He also shared his disappointment with some of the current government's recent decisions, despite his lifelong support for the Labour party.