"I fear the names of Elsie, Bebe and Alice are being lost in the noise of hate and misinformation"

Horrific and tragic are the only words I can find to describe what happened in Southport on Monday, and while the local community mourn the losses of three innocent children, it is impossible to even begin to imagine how their friends and families are feeling.

As the Sefton town joined together on Tuesday evening to pay tribute to those affected by the devastating attack, the event that was supposed to remember Alice, Bebe and Elsie and the other victims quickly became overshadowed by a hateful protest. Mosques were smashed, dozens of police officers - even police dogs - were injured and video footage showed groups of men smiling and laughing as a police van was set alight.

It is thought that the spreading of misinformation online lead to the protest, with Merseyside Police believing those involved to be supporters of the English Defence League, and a heartfelt vigil about the loss of local children became lost in the headlines.

Finding the correct balance as a reporter is particularly tricky because we, of course, cannot simply ignore the hate-fuelled violence that occurred on Tuesday night but, there is the danger that British headlines will become so dominated by the riots that we all lose sight of what’s truly important - the beautiful little girls, the heroes who tried to save them and the nightmare their parents are facing.

It’s completely natural to want to uncover the identity of the person responsible for hurting innocent children because 99% of us cannot fathom how anyone could ever commit such a heinous act. But, the more we speculate and spread alleged names of the accused online, the higher the chance of Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice Dasilva Aguiar and Bebe King’s names being lost in the noise. The more the parents and friends of those injured and killed are subject to hearsay and gossip, when what they really need is the privacy to grieve in peace. Elsie’s mother, Jenni Stancombe, even took to social media to ask rioters to ‘please stop the violence’ when she should have been allowed to mourn her child.

Rather than continuing to write about the violence that occurred at last night’s protest, I think it’s best to talk about the incredible Southport and Merseyside community who rallied together to clean up the destruction and have shown nothing but kindness despite feeling a loss so close to home.

The hundreds of locals who have been providing the police with food and water, the dozens of local business owners who have offered free activities for children, to provide free security for local kids clubs, to rebuild the garden walls damaged by rioters. The off-duty police officers who went to help their colleagues, the first-responders and hospital workers who worked tirelessly to save the victims, the thousands of people who have raised money for the families of victims, the two adults who are in hospital after jumping in to protect the children from the attacker, the people nearby who were slashed trying to rescue them.

In the wake of a horrific tragedy, it is okay to want answers, it is okay to need someone to blame. But, as we wait for answers, sharing speculation and inciting hatred is not going to erase Monday’s horrendous events. All we can do is pray for the poor children and adults fighting for their lives in hospital, allow the families to grieve in peace and offer our support to the Southport community. This has to be about the people affected by the heinous violence. Say their names. Bebe, Elsie and Alice.