Southport: Business owner helps raise funds after shop looted in wake of violent mob outside mosque

Rose Tucker, 32, runs a beauty salon on Sussex Road and started a GoFundMe to support Windsor Mini Mart owner, Chanaka Balasuryla, after his shop was looted of alcohol and cigarettes during an outbreak of violence on Tuesday night (July 30).

Mr Balasuryla described how he watched men attacking his store through the CCTV system from his home and became terrified that they would start a fire, trapping the woman and her daughter who live in the flat above. He said he later found out that the woman confronted the attackers, telling them it was her shop in a plea for them to stop.

The beauty salon owner, whose shop is located across the road from his store, has now raised over £2,500 of its £10,000 for the targeted mini mart to “help them get back on their feet.” She said: “After a mass stabbing in Southport on the 29th July, riots broke out targeting the local mosque and small businesses.

“I own a salon own Sussex Road and although, miraculously, the salon isn’t damaged, our neighbours over at Windsor Mini Mart were targeted; broken in to and looted, causing thousands of pounds worth of damage. Rioters broke through their safety glass and have torn their shop apart. They are a small, family run business with two young children.

“We’re raising money to help get them back on their feet and all money raised will be used to restore the shop and support the family whilst they’re unable to work. We also want to help with any trauma caused by the hateful attack.”

Mr Balasuryla described how he watched the CCTV footage on his phone as the attackers began smashing their way through the front of the shop, leaving his two children traumatised. He said: “I got a couple of hours’ sleep and then got a phone call saying, ‘You need to come down, there’s lots of people waiting to help’.”

He added that local people had said they would defend his shop if necessary. “It was terrifying last night,” he said. “But I feel safe again because people are here to protect us.”

Mr Balasuryla, who is of Sri Lankan background, said has lived in this community for 28 years after moving from London. He said the shop is known as “the green shop” and is a focal point for the whole community. He said: “We have never had any problems. I’m Buddhist, my wife’s Catholic. Everybody knows us. I’m so glad to live in this area.”

A 17-year-old was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder after the horrifying knife attack unfolded at a Taylor Swift-themed children’s holiday club on Monday. Three girls – Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven – were fatally stabbed, while eight other children suffered knife wounds – five of whom are in a critical condition. Two adults were also critically hurt.

Right-wing rioters staged violent protests near Southport mosque on Tuesday, marring a night of remembrance for the little girls who lost their lives. Police officers suffered serious injuries when bricks, stones and bottles were thrown and cars were set alight during unrest that followed a vigil for the murdered children.

Baseless rumours were spread on social media, misidentifying the suspect and falsely claiming that he was a refugee, when in fact he was born in Wales. Norman Wallis, chief executive of Southport Pleasureland, was helping at the scene and said the clean-up was partly in response to a social media plea he put out after witnessing the violence.

Mr Wallis said: “There are hundreds of people who have responded, and we’ve ended up with lots of people down here today, all from the local community and helping with the fantastic clean-up.”

He added: “It’s horrendous what those hooligans have done last night. It was like a war scene. People from out of town are just causing absolute mayhem. People in hoods climbing up lampposts, throwing bricks, they set a police car on fire. But none of those people were the people of Southport. The people of Southport are the ones here today cleaning the mess up.”