Solidarity through the Southport Walk Of Unity 'as important now as it's ever been'
Photo by Andrew Brown Stand up For Southport

PEOPLE supporting the 3rd Interfaith Walk in Southport heard how:- "the need to express our solidarity publicly is as important now as it has ever been."

Sunday, 11 October 2026, was a day of real togetherness, compassion and friendship in Southport with the Walk Of Unity.

People of all faiths walked together from:- Southport and District Reform Synagogue, on Princes Street to Christ Church, on Lord Street to Southport Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre, located on Sussex Road.

It is just over 2 years since the Southport riot saw a mob of people launch missiles against Southport Mosque and attempt to burn it down as police officers held them back. 

The Walk Of Unity was created to promote friendship, understanding and co-operation between faith communities working together for peace, social cohesion and the wellbeing of Southport.

Among many people walking on Sunday were:- Archbishop of Liverpool His Grace, John Sherrington; Mayor of Sefton Cll Jennifer Corcoran; Southport MP Patrick Hurley; Dr Selwyn Goldthorpe of the Southport Interfaith group; Merseyside Police Area Commander Chief Superintendent Mr Baldwin; Southport Imam Ibrahim Hussein; Christ Church Vicar Reverend Ben Dyer; Secretary to the Southport Interfaith Group and Chairman of Southport & District Reform Synagogue Doctor Selwyn Goldthorpe; and others.

There were speeches and warm welcomes at each of the 3 venues, with food provided for guests at Southport Mosque.

In a speech at Southport Mosque, The Revd Graham Turner, Christian Minister, and member of the Southport Interfaith Group, said:- "This is our 3rd Interfaith Walk, and the need to express our solidarity publicly is as important now as it has ever been. Some of our faith communities continue to be under real pressure. For instance, the people of this Mosque continue to receive threats, even though they have opened their doors and their hearts to the people of Southport. It beggars belief that they have to pay for security simply to come together to pray in safety. It is now just a year since the Heaton Park Synagogue was attacked on Yom Kippur, of all days; 2 people were killed and 3 others were seriously injured. Crumpsall, north Manchester, is not a million miles from here; physically or emotionally. The shockwaves from that violence are felt here in our 2 synagogues. As we repeatedly assert:- An attack on 1 of us is an attack on us all." 

He continued:- "The Dalai Lama was not naļve about conflict. He said it was, sadly, a fact of life, and added that dialogue is the only realistic way to keep the peace by respecting the other side and understanding their viewpoint. There are terrible wars and conflicts across the world, and we may well despair, asking:- 'What can I do?' Well, our contribution to world peace is to demonstrate here and now that we can live and thrive together, even though we are widely different. Solidarity is not about pretending that we believe the same things. We don't. We have different histories, different traditions, different understandings of God (if you have 1 at all), and different perceptions of what it means to live a good life. But what we do have is our shared common humanity, and it is up to us to prove that it is possible to be one community without turning 'difference into hostility.'"

He added:- "Martin Luther King once said:- 'We must learn to live together as sisters and brothers or perish together as fools.' Sadly, living together as sisters and brothers does not usually come naturally to us. But as he says, we have to learn how to do this, and for this, we need courage. As a demonstration to Southport and beyond, we must remain open to one another to show this is possible; we must keep listening, even when it would be easier to retreat into our own safe social circles and friendship cliques; we must challenge prejudice when we encounter it, including when it comes from people we know; and we must stand alongside our neighbours when they are under threat, but not simply when it is easy or comfortable to do so. This is our work, and this is our passion, which we do not take for granted as we build and rebuild, time and again."