Faith leaders ‘calmed tensions’ after Lee Rigby killing

A swift and united response by religious leaders helped to avert a “dangerous and polarising situation” in the wake of the Lee Rigby murder, according to the UK Ambassador to the Holy See, Nigel Baker.

Rigby, an off-duty soldier, was run down then hacked to death by Islamic extremists in Woolwich, south London, in May 2013. On Tuesday, a parliamentary investigation concluded that his death could not have been prevented, despite the names of his killers appearing in seven intelligence investigations.
Mr Baker said that following the murder the circumstances on the streets “could have got very messy”. Britain was on the verge of a “very dangerous and polarising situation” and faith leaders had stepped in to calm racial and religious tensions. It was “an amazing response” to the killing by fundamentalists Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale.

Mr Baker told The Tablet: “It probably could have got very messy if it had turned into a Muslims-against-others fight. There were certainly a lot of people ready to jump on the bandwagon.” He added that because religious leaders had been working together for many years, they were able to provide a “really good, strong response”, which helped to diffuse “a very dangerous and polarising situation”.

The diplomat, who previously served in Bolivia and Cuba, said that the UK Government was now aware of the importance of understanding religious issues when dealing with terror and in foreign policy. While previously somewhat “ignored”, he admitted, it now contributed to their understanding of how to combat Islamic State and extremism.

Religious leaders also played a key role in calming the 2011 London riots, the ambassador explained. He said: “The people helping to diffuse the situation were parish priests.” Priests and representatives of Muslim groups were on the streets reasoning with youngsters, he recalled. “Priests stopped looters because they knew these guys,” he said. 

Mr Baker stressed, however, that the West must not play into the extremists’ hands by thinking that everything is about religion. “You’ve got to get the balance right, recognising the religious elements and not ignoring them, which maybe was a tendency in the past.”

He added: “There is nothing IS would like more than a Western crusade.”