SINGAPORE: The recent tragic stabbing of three young girls at their dance class in the quiet seaside town of Southport in northern England triggered some of the worst unrest the United Kingdom has seen in more than a decade.luckyaces168

Beyond the initial tragedy, which also saw eight more children and two adults injured, the riots and violence in towns and cities across England and Northern Ireland were fuelled by a potent combination of complex and volatile factors.

These included online misinformation and disinformation, anti-immigration and anti-foreigner sentiment, and the actions of the far-right as well as influential personalities.

While the effects of these diverse factors on the outbreak of violence that led to more than 1,000 arrests so far are still being evaluated, one thing is clear - the potential for a cocktail of influences to spark off destabilising forces in a country is a significant threat, especially in today’s complex and complicated world.

And this is a lesson that a small, openluckyaces168, multiracial and multireligious nation like Singapore can ill-afford to ignore.

From left: Nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and six-year-old Bebe King were killed in the Southport knife attack. (Photos: AFP/Merseyside Police/Handouts)

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