A British imam has hit out at social media posts blaming Muslims for the incident 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 a car drove into the crowd. There were 65 casualties, with 50 needing hospital treatment, police said in an update on Tuesday. Eleven remain in hospital.
Police had been swift on Monday to give details of the suspect's ethnicity, saying he was a white British man, aged 53, and from the Liverpool area, having faced criticism last year for withholding information related to the Southport attacks in the region.
The man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving offences and driving while unfit through drugs after the parade incident.
Detectives are investigating whether the car tailgated an ambulance before running into pedestrians.
The city’s metro mayor Steve Rotheram said the vehicle should not have been on the street and the “big question” was how the incident happened.
Mr Kelwick, who defused tension in Liverpool during the Southport riots last year, warned that online fake news was already spreading about the perpetrator’s identity.
However, social media posts are falsely suggesting the detained man was a Muslim and that police were concealing his identity, Mr Kelwick said.
He told The National that Muslims in his community had contacted him to say they felt “unsafe” and “isolated and targeted”, as the fake news agitators pointed the finger at them.
“I’m very disappointed. When I went online, like a lot of people, we saw the rumours they were starting to spread again,” Mr Kelwick said in a social media video in which he was wearing a Liverpool T-shirt
Liverpool had been celebrating their 20th Premier League title on Monday and Mr Kelwick reminded followers that Mohamed Salah, who was named the league's Player of the Year and held the trophy on the bus, is Muslim.
The imam was worried that the online rumours could cause anti-Muslim riots like they did in August last year after the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport.
Mosques and hotels hosting asylum seekers were attacked after fake news spread online that the girls' killer was a Muslim asylum seeker. More than 1,511 arrests were made that week.
Mr Kelwick invited the rioters into his mosque for a meal in an attempt to defuse community tension.
But his patience appears 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 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 people spreading it to correct their mistake.
But he was hopeful that Liverpool’s communities would “come together”.
Some of the participants in the riots in Liverpool last August had “liked” his post, a sign that they backed his message, he told The National.
“Since the riots last summer, we've come together with communities,” he said. "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."
King Charles described the incident as “truly devastating” and directed a message to the people of Liverpool, saying: “I know that the strength of community spirit for which your city is renowned will be a comfort and support to those in need.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales also said they were “deeply saddened”, adding: “What should have been a joyful celebration ended with tragedy.”
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.”
“The city has a long and proud history of coming together through difficult times. Liverpool stands together and the whole country stands with Liverpool."
At a press conference late on Monday, Dave Kitchin from the North West Ambulance Service said 27 people were taken to hospital and 20 people were treated at the scene, with four children among the injured.
Nick Searle, chief fire officer of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, said four people 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 “it looked deliberate”.
