Jill Pirdas comes from Southport in the north of England and was recently there with her family in the wake of the tragic killing of three little girls and the subsequent violence that swept her hometown. Jill wrote recently of her memories of the 2016 attack in Nice and here she adds her thoughts about this other devastating tragedy
Sunny, sedate Southport, my place of birth in the north of England, used to be known as a seaside resort with its wide sandy beaches and for its Flower Show. However, in my mind Southport has become a town to be ashamed of since the terrible knife attack at the end of July by an adolescent, which killed three little girls and injured many others.
Again and again, we are faced with the inexplicable. Why would a young lad, almost a child himself, feel that this horrendous act was justifiable? Then to add to the inadmissible, groups of far-right protesters subsequently ran amok in various towns across the UK. Misinformation over social media fuelled anger and hatred against asylum seekers, immigrants and Muslims, none of which applied to the murderer who was born in Wales. But here’s the thing - his parents were of Rwandan descent! Suddenly the families of the little girls were left out of the picture, their grief hijacked by these ignorant mobs.
Happily though, an uprising of solidarity soon became evident. Peaceful demonstrations against the far-right vandals far outnumbered the violent protests. A shop in Southport near to the crime had been completely wrecked, but it was then swiftly repaired by volunteers and in a matter of days a large amount of money was raised locally in order that the owner could continue to ply his trade.
In a letter to the Ephesians, Saint Paul writes “Brothers and sisters, be careful how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.” As Christians we need to acknowledge that evil is a part of life but at the same time we know that goodness is also part of life and hopefully the greater part; and that we should make the most of our time, guided by the Spirit, striving to heal and to make amends for our imperfect planet.
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