Swift speaks after Austria plot, Charles visits UK victims

Taylor Swift performing at Wembley in London. Photo: Getty Images
Taylor Swift performing at Wembley in London. Photo: Getty Images
King Charles III has paid tribute to victims and families affected by a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class which sparked riots and racist attacks targeting Muslims and migrants.

A day later, the 32-year-old American pop singer has broken her silence over her decision to cancel shows in Austria after a terror plot was foiled. 

On a visit to Southport, the town in northern England where the attack took place, Charles met some of the surviving children and their families on Tuesday, before later meeting representatives from local emergency services and community groups.

He also looked at flowers and toys that had been left in memory of the victims of the attack, to cheers and applause from the gathered crowds.

Three young girls were killed and others were wounded in the July 29 attack at the dance class, which sparked the riots after online misinformation wrongly said it had been committed by an Islamist migrant.

A 17-year-old male, who police said was born in Britain, has been charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and one of possession of a bladed article.

King Charles greets a member of the public after visiting Southport Town Hall this week. Photo:...
King Charles greets a member of the public after visiting Southport Town Hall this week. Photo: Reuters
The King praised the community spirit, compassion and resilience that countered aggression and criminality from the rioters, and said he hoped mutual respect and understanding would continue to unite the nation.

Charles has taken a keen interest in helping young people, setting up the Princes Trust charity in the 1970s. It has helped a million young people to find work or create community projects and has worked in areas impacted by riots and unrest over the years. It has continued to operate, including in locations hit by the riots, since his coronation.

Swift breaks silence on cancelled shows 

Taylor Swift revealed on Wednesday that a "new sense of fear" came over her after authorities uncovered a plot to attack her Vienna concert venue as well as guilt for letting down fans by cancelling her three shows in the city. 

She also applauded authorities for foiling the plan to cause mass harm at Ernst Happel Stadium, the venue where she was scheduled to play.

"Thanks to them, we were grieving concerts and not lives," Swift said on Instagram in her first public comments since news of planned attack surfaced two weeks ago.

Police in Austria arrested a 19-year-old man who they said confessed to wanting to cause a "bloodbath" at Swift's Eras Tour shows.

"Having our Vienna shows cancelled was devastating," Swift said.

"The reason for the cancellations filled me with a new sense of fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt because so many people had planned on coming to those shows."

The 34-year-old said she decided "all of my energy had to go toward helping to protect the nearly half a million people I had coming to see the shows in London."

The London dates took place without incident and concluded on Tuesday, ending the European leg of the record-breaking tour. 

Swift said she had not commented earlier because she did not want to risk provoking harm at future concerts.

"Let me be very clear: I am not going to speak about something publicly if I think doing so might provoke those who would want to harm the fans who come to my shows," Swift wrote.

"In cases like this one, 'silence' is actually showing restraint."

The Eras Tour, the highest-grossing concert tour in history, is now on a scheduled break. It will resume with final dates from October through December in the United States and Canada.