One False Social Media Post Fuels Deadly Southport Riots

In the chaotic hours following the tragic knife attack at a children’s dance class in Southport on July 29, one quickly deleted social media post became a catalyst for violent riots across England and Northern Ireland. The single LinkedIn post, written by local resident Eddie Murray, falsely claimed the attack was perpetrated by a migrant, setting off a chain reaction of misinformation that would be viewed millions of times.

Murray’s original post, written about three hours after the stabbings, stated: “My two youngest children went to holiday club this morning in Southport for a day of fun only for a migrant to enter and murder/fatally wound multiple children.” He continued with a call to “close the borders completely,” adding, “Enough is enough.”

The post implied Murray’s children were present at the attack, though the BBC has learned they had actually been turned away from the dance class because it was full. Murray would later tell reporters he was “only posting the information he had been given.”

While his LinkedIn post was only seen by a few hundred people before being removed for violating platform policies against “harmful or false content,” screenshots quickly spread across other social media platforms. BBC Verify analysis found that within just hours, these screenshots had been viewed over two million times.

The timing was critical. In the immediate aftermath of the stabbings, Merseyside Police had released minimal information, only stating shortly after 1 p.m. that “armed police have detained a male and seized a knife.” This information vacuum created fertile ground for speculation.

By 4:23 p.m., an Indian news website called Upuknews had shared Murray’s post as “confirmed” information, garnering over half a million views. Simultaneously, Paul Golding, co-leader of the far-right group Britain First and a convicted criminal, shared the screenshot claiming evidence was “stacking up that the Southport attack was carried out by a migrant,” adding another 110,000 views.

The misinformation escalated when, five hours after the attack, a completely fabricated name for the suspect—”Ali-Al-Shakati”—began circulating online alongside Murray’s screenshot. This false name was then amplified by Bernie Spofforth, an account previously suspended from X for alleged COVID misinformation, who claimed the nonexistent “Al-Shakati” was “on MI6 watch list” and “an asylum seeker who came to UK by boat last year.”

Actor and right-wing Reclaim Party leader Laurence Fox further amplified this disinformation by reposting Spofforth’s message alongside Murray’s screenshot with a call to “Close the borders.” His single post received 500,000 views.

In total, screenshots of Murray’s original LinkedIn post were viewed more than three million times on X alone. The BBC also discovered additional deleted posts from Murray that repeated the false “Al-Shakati” name, writing: “BBC news are lying. The Child murderer was from Africa. He was on MI6 watch. His name is Ali Al Shakati.”

At 5:25 p.m., police announced they had arrested a 17-year-old from Banks in Lancashire. Nearly two hours later, they clarified the suspect had been born in Cardiff, directly contradicting the false narrative. But by then, the damage was done.

A Telegram group called “Southport Wake Up,” established just six hours after the stabbings, began organizing a protest for 8 p.m. on July 30 on St. Luke’s Road—a gathering that would devolve into rioting. Far-right activists, including David Miles from the white nationalist group Patriotic Alternative, were filmed on scene as violence escalated.

Jonathan Hall KC, the government’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, later stated that the false claims circulating on social media were “plausibly connected to some of the violence that followed.” He suggested that current laws “stoke the risk of online disinformation” and has recommended legal reforms.

Media regulator Ofcom concluded there was a “clear connection” between the violent disorder and social media posts, noting how rapidly such content spread following the Southport attack. Despite this, many of the misleading posts remain visible on platforms including X and Facebook.

The UK government has committed to implementing the Online Safety Act, passed in October 2023, which requires platforms to remove illegal content and prevent deliberate misinformation. However, these protections have yet to take effect.