Muslim Man Stabbed at Liverpool Train Station Hours Before Far-Right Protest at Mosque

Liverpool, England — Liverpool’s Muslim community is on edge following a stabbing incident at Blundellsands & Crosby train station, which occurred just hours before a planned far-right protest outside a local mosque.

The attack unfolded around 2 p.m. on Friday, August 2, as Megan Rimmer, 36, was returning home with her daughters. According to Rimmer, a man was stabbed by another individual who had turned around and lunged at him with a knife. The victim, believed to be Muslim, sustained a severe hand injury.

Anti-racists outside the first mosque in the UK, opened in 1889 by Muslim convert Abdullah Quilliam (Picture: Ian Cooper/AFP via Getty)

Rimmer, who witnessed the attack as she wheeled her buggy off the platform, described a chaotic scene with blood everywhere. She took immediate action by using her keffiyeh to help the injured man, applying pressure to his wound until emergency services arrived.

A British Transport Police spokesperson confirmed the incident, stating that officers attended the scene at 2:45 p.m. Paramedics treated the victim for a minor hand injury. The suspect, described as a man in his late 40s with a stocky build, fled the scene after the attack.

The stabbing has heightened concerns within Liverpool’s Muslim community, which was already apprehensive about a far-right protest planned for later that evening. The protest, which was expected to target the Abdullah Quilliam Mosque, had been promoted as a significant clash on social media.

Anti-fascist activists feared violence on the streets of Liverpool (Picture: Belinda Jiao/Reuters)

Despite fears of violence, the evening’s events saw a substantial turnout of counter-protesters. Approximately 300 anti-racist demonstrators gathered to support the mosque, successfully outnumbering the 50 far-right protesters. The Abdullah Quilliam Mosque, historically open to all, even offered refreshments to attendees, although no far-right protesters took them up on the offer.

Even 70-year-old Pat showed up with a ‘Nans against Nazis’ poster (Picture: Ian Cooper/AFP via Getty Images)

Local anti-racist activist Lila Tamea expressed relief at the strong counter-demonstration. “It’s been difficult not knowing what to expect, especially with the stabbing earlier today,” she said. “Liverpool has shown its true colours, and the counter-protest was crucial in deterring the far-right.”

The contrast between the planned far-right protest and the strong anti-racist response underscores Liverpool’s ongoing commitment to combating racism and extremism, even in the face of heightened tensions and recent unrest across the UK.

Sola Adeniji

News Reporter, Freelancer, and content creator

See Full Bio