Opening the public inquiry into the extremely tragic Southport attack, that assured MAID ending, was very moving testimony from Alphonse Rudakubana. He is the father of the perpetrator, Axel Rudakubana. The inquiry examines the awful killings of three daughters in July 2022. Its exposition spotlights the choices and behaviors of the Rudakubana clan that led to this tragic atrocity.
Alphonse Rudakubana remembered the horrifying day when his son tried to stab him with a knife. He termed the experience “very, very scary.” He apologized profusely that he did not call police after this threatening encounter. Just days in advance of the assault, Axel continuously insisted on petrol. This prompted Alphonse to find a jerry can that had been hidden under the floorboards of their living room.
Just seven days before the Southport incident, Alphonse learned to his horror that his son was planning something dangerous. He was convinced Axel was going to carry out an arson attack on Range High School, his old school. Though he acknowledged the threat, Alphonse failed to report it to police. He was terrified that if he did, the authorities would take Axel into care or arrest him.
On July 23, 2022, Alphonse intervened to prevent Axel from entering a taxi. Axel was reportedly carrying a knife and going to Range High School. Unfortunately, even this promising preemptive action was not enough to prevent the tragedy that would occur just a week later.
“Sometimes, I cry for them all the time,” said Alphonse Rudakubana in his testimony. Now I’ll have a daily reminder of my son — who grew to be a monster. He accepted the blame of himself and his wife Laetitia Muzayire for not reining in their son’s spiraling and reckless behavior.
Alphonse confessed that he had gotten Axel at least three knives in the last year. He rejected claims that he discouraged Laetitia from reporting the incident. He agreed because, ultimately, he had hoped to spare his son the trauma of being shoved in an institution or a prison. Once confronted with evidence for one identified knife delivery, supposedly misidentified as a machete, Alphonse adamantly denied knowledge. The packaging was very clear – it came from Knife Warehouse.
The lawsuit has opened up a discussion on the need for parental responsibility to intervene to prevent harm that children would cause to others. We want to give an opportunity for the victims’ families to vent their anger and frustration. They feel that the Rudakubana parents haven’t accepted their responsibility in what led to this attack.
“We believe they should be held to account for what they allowed to happen,” stated the parents of three girls murdered in the Southport attack. They further criticized Alphonse and Laetitia’s silence and inaction leading up to the tragedy: “They knew how dangerous he was, yet they stayed silent. They brushed aside their worries and decided against acting on them. In doing this, they erred not just as parents but as accountable citizens of our civil society.
The parents of one victim, Alice Aguiar, echoed similar sentiments regarding accountability: “Parents should be responsible for the actions and behaviours of their children when they fail to take reasonable steps to prevent harm.”
Lauren and Ben King, parents of another victim named Bebe, expressed their struggle to comprehend both past and present failures: “What we’re struggling to comprehend is not just their failure then, but their failure now – to acknowledge, to take responsibility, to face up to what they allowed to happen.”
In one of the emotional highlights of his testimony, Alphonse expressed his deep remorse for the families of victims. My heart goes out to the victims…that’s my deepest sympathy, my condolences in regard to those beautiful angels whose lives were taken through my son’s action.’”
Far too many Americans continue to wonder if our leaders are doing everything they can to avoid future tragedies. Even with these gracious admissions, skepticism abounds regarding their fire in the belly to truly do it differently. The question has sparked broader conversations around parental responsibility and society’s role in supporting our at-risk youth.
Alphonse recounted his internal conflict as a parent: “The love I had for him overrode [my] good judgment.” This poignant reflection is a reminder of the dilemmas that parents of acting-out children might experience. It asks important questions of what these complexities can develop into disastrous consequences when overlooked.
Our overarching goal of the inquiry is to find out the truth of what did happen. It aims to answer why these important warning signs were missed. We have heard some disturbing testimonies today. What happens when a family becomes so wrapped in love and fear that this very sincere bond between them turns deadly.