Hundreds of mourners gathered yesterday in Southport, northwest England, for the funeral of a nine-year-old girl killed in last month’s knife attack, which sparked more than a week of nationwide disorder. Family, friends, community leaders and emergency responders all joined Alice da Silva Aguiar’s parents for an emotional ceremony at a Catholic church in the seaside town, nearly two weeks after the mass stabbing that shocked the country. Attendees had been asked to wear white, a tradition for some in Portugal, where Alice’s parents hail from.
Locals lining the main road clapped as the funeral cortege – bearing a small white coffin, resting on a carriage pulled by two white horses with colourful feathers – passed by. “Of course we’re here – it’s the Southport spirit,” said one man who turned out for the event. “We’re here to pay our respects.
” Pink ribbons and balloons had been tied to lampposts and garden walls near the church. Several hundred people packed inside the venue for the service – featuring short addresses, readings, prayers and hymns – which was relayed on loudspeakers to those who had gathered outside. Jinnie Payne, the head teacher of the primary school that the nine-year-old attended, was among those to speak movingly.
“Alice, you will forever be in our hearts,” she told the congregation. The July 29 mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class killed two other girls – Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven –.