Netizens link Southport stabbing to attempted attack on Taylor Swift concert
On the heels of the deadly stabbing of three young girls during a Taylor Swift-themed event in Southport, UK three Eras tour shows in Vienna have been cancelled after local police narrowly thwarted planned attacks on the concerts, allegedly orchestrated by the Islamic State. Amid this sudden onslaught of violence against the singer and her devoted fanbase, netizens have been speculating that the attacks could be motivated by misogyny, connecting the two instances to the broader and insidious societal issue of femicide.
On 29 July 2024, it was reported that three young girls between the ages of six and nine were brutally stabbed while attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga event in the British city of Southport. Eight more children were injured, with five left in critical condition, following the incident late on Monday morning.
The singer herself commented on the news and stated that she was âin shockâ and âat a complete lossâ as her fans raised over ÂŁ371,000 for the victims and their families.
When the news hit that another event featuring the singer was cancelled due to an attempted attack, with authorities warning that there could be other threats, netizens felt like it was time to connect the dots.
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Could this be a coordinated effort to attack the artist due to her largely female fanbase? Were both of these onslaughts planned with the intention to commit femicide?
âThis is the second attack at a Taylor Swift event Iâve seen. The first one was successful. This one was thankfully thwarted. Both attacks were calculated. These are places that are going to host large groups of young girls. We are watching femicide in action,â X, formerly Twitter, user Lily Belle concluded.
The netizenâs theory was echoed throughout the online sphere, with many others concluding that there must have been a reason Taylor Swift’s events were being targeted. And, according to them, the reason is young women and girls.
Itâs absolutely shitty that one of the only safe spaces for women where we can experience pure, unadulterated JOY is actively targeted by SOBs who seek to engage in femicide and sow terror. Everyone who wished death on Taylor Swift fans simply for loving her music- you did this. pic.twitter.com/06XLqRg5fD
— Kristin ⨠(Your Fave Anti-Hero) (@Ms_KSwizzle) August 7, 2024
they are actively trying to kill women and young girls and make the survivors feel unsafe.
— lily belle (@gelphies) August 7, 2024
genuine question⌠when is femicide going to be recognised in the UK law? because thatâs what this is⌠itâs not just murder itâs murdering women and girls thereâs a reason a taylor swift dance class was chosen https://t.co/PbBT0Oa710
— emma đ (@lovrlwtt) July 30, 2024
Murdering innocent little girls & planning to bomb a concert full of innocent people? And for what? Internalised misogyny & femicide is what it is. How can hating on a successful woman be so normalised?
— đžđđđËËË Â´ËË LIV N1 & LDN N4 ᥣđŠ (@talkoftheswift) August 7, 2024
For reference, femicide, as defined by the European Centre for Gender Inequality, describes the killing of women and girls because of their gender. It is a manifestation of unequal gender dynamics in society and thus a largely male-perpetrated crime, based on a sense of superiority and the need to assert dominance over women. Across the world, in virtually every country, women and young girls are still perceived as property and lesser beings, leading to violence, torture, and the misogynistic slaying of them.
What also didnât escape the eye of some netizens was a similar attack from 2017 that tragically couldnât be foiled, when 22 people were killed in a suicide bombing after an Ariana Grande concert at Britainâs Manchester Arena. The similarities emphasise the fact that this is not the first time a high-profile female celebrity with a massive female fanbase has been targeted.
I agree. The bombing at Ariana Grande's convert was not referred to as femicide yet it absolutely was. This attempt was in the same vein. https://t.co/kMPwwvrVAL
— Swiftology (@catchypiccolino) August 7, 2024
Yet, a lot of observers also disagreed with the characterisation of these events as acts of misogynistic violence and femicide.
âI think ISIS makes no distinction between who they wanna attack. This just happens to be a high-profile event that would have meant lots of casualties and media attention,â one X user stated.
âYes, I heard in the news that they werenât targeting Taylor Swift and the fans per se, but major events, and since the Eraâs tour is a major event,â another user replied to their tweet.
Yes,, i heard in the news that they wasn't target taylor swift and the fans per se, but major events, and since the eras tour is a major event...
— patđŚâ⏠(@_ttriish) August 8, 2024
What exactly motivated the attacks still has to be revealed, considering that the police have released only sparse information about the suspects who have been apprehended.
In Austria, a 19-year-old suspect living at his parentsâ home was arrested on Wednesday 7 August 2024 during a police raid, law enforcement sources told The New York Post. A second suspect was apprehended later in the afternoon.
In Britain, the Merseyside Police confirmed that they had arrested 17-year-old Axel Muganwa Rudakubana from the north of Southport.
We will keep you updated should any more relevant information come to light.
