Patrick Hurley said that today’s visit from King Charles III showed that “the nation has our back” after the Hart Street attack and subsequent riot on St Luke’s Road.
The MP was part of the delegation that welcomed His Majesty to Southport Community Fire Station, where the King met emergency services representatives and local faith leaders.
The meeting followed a visit to Southport Town Hall, as the King spoke to local residents and met privately with several victims and families connected to the attack.
Patrick Hurley told OTS News: “I think it was really important that the King came to see the town to see the community, the first responders and the people who’ve helped out. The reason it’s really important is that the town’s grief is still raw.
“The first thing that the town did was an amazing, positive, emotional response. There were thousands of people at the vigil outside the Atkinson on the Tuesday evening. Although things are starting to settle now within Southport, there’s a lot of processing of grief – for the families, for those directly affected and for the community as a whole.
“Southport’s a small town and a close-knit community. Everybody will know someone who was either in the class or knows someone directly affected. I think it was important as a symbol, as a statement of intent that the King came to the town, showed his sympathy, showed his empathy and showed that the nation has our back.”
When asked for his opinion on the criminal justice response to those who were involved in the civil disorder following the attack, Patrick Hurley told OTS News: “I was pleased to see a swift and thorough response from law enforcement to the disorder that we saw in the immediate aftermath of the attack and the week after.
“The people stirring up trouble and engaging in civil disorder don’t speak for Southport. They don’t speak in memory of the victims. They were doing this for their own purposes. I was pleased to see that law enforcement and the authorities threw the book at them.”
For more information on how OTS News will continue to cover the Hart Street attack, the St Luke’s Road riot, and other connected events – please click here
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