FRIENDS and relatives gathered on Friday (23) for the funeral of seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, one of three young girls killed in a stabbing in northwest England, an event that ignited riots across the country.
Elsie’s coffin, draped in a pastel-coloured pall with a blue stuffed toy placed on top, was carried down a pink carpet as mourners lined the streets outside the church in the seaside town of Southport.
Friends and family dressed in colourful pastel and floral attire, honouring the family's wish to celebrate what they called "Elsie's Special Day."
"Elsie spent every day just simply enjoying life with determination, persistence, love and kindness," the family said in a statement ahead of the funeral.
Elsie was killed alongside Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and Bebe King, six, in a stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed summer dance class on July 29, which also left 10 other people, eight of them children, injured.
Members of Elsie's cheerleading group stood at the entrance of the church, wiping away tears as the coffin went past them.
In a tribute during the service, teacher Katie Sykes said Elsie had the ability to light up any room she entered, according to PA news agency.
"She made everybody smile just by being her," she added.
King Charles III visited Southport on Tuesday (20) for the first time since the tragedy shook the country on July 29, meeting survivors and their families.
He also met with the three bereaved families in London on Wednesday (21).
Unrest and riots erupted in more than a dozen English towns and cities in the week that followed the events in Southport, with authorities blaming misinformation over the identity of the alleged attacker.
Axel Rudakubana, who was aged 17 at the time, has been charged with murder and attempted murder over the stabbing spree. (AFP)
FILE PHOTO: A general view shows British Steel's Scunthorpe plant, in Scunthorpe, northern England, Britain, March 31, 2025. REUTERS/Dominic Lipinski
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. (Representational image: iStock)
FBU chief raises concern over rise in racist online posts by union members
THE FIRE Brigades Union (FBU) and other trade unions are increasingly concerned about a rise in racist and bigoted online comments by their own members and officials, according to Steve Wright, the FBU’s new general secretary, speaking to the Guardian.
Wright said internal inquiries have revealed dozens of cases involving members using racist slurs or stereotypes, often aimed at asylum seekers.
He said similar issues were reported in other unions, prompting a joint campaign to counter false narratives around immigration and race promoted by far-right groups online.
“People with far-right views are becoming more brazen in what they do on social media, and I’ve witnessed it with my own union around disciplinary cases and the rhetoric of some of our own members,” Wright said to the newspaper.
He added, “Some of our members and sometimes our reps have openly made comments which are racist and bigoted. In my time in the fire service, that has gone up.”
The FBU is planning to introduce new internal policies and wants the TUC to take action as well. A formal statement addressing far-right narratives will be launched at the union’s annual conference in Blackpool next month.
Wright cited the influence of social media and figures like Donald Trump and Nigel Farage as factors contributing to these incidents. “It feels like an itch that we’ve got to scratch,” he said.
The FBU barred a former official last year for allegedly endorsing racist content on X, including posts from Britain First and Tommy Robinson.
Wright also warned that the union could strike if the government moves to cut frontline fire services.