Christian groups oppose ‘divisive and Islamophobic’ language at anti-migrant march

Christian ‘peace envoys’ engaged with protesters at the far-right Unite the Kingdom march in London on 16 May to counter Christian nationalist rhetoric.

Groups including Better Story, Red Letter Christians and Christians Against the Far Right set up “listening stations” at the march to try to find “areas of common ground” and “offer a seed of hope at a time when division and fear dominate political narratives”.

Around 60,000 people joined the far-right march, and the Metropolitan police made 22 arrests.

The Anglican Bishop of Edmonton and racial justice lead, Dr Anderson Jeremiah, who joined one of the listening stations, said, “One of the major concerns of people participating in this rally is that they are not being listened to.

“I feel that both as a priest and as a bishop, the most important thing I have to do is to listen and to hear their pain.”

“We found that there were issues we can unite around as a country,” said Tommy Sharpe, co-founder of Better Story, a grassroots movement that aims to reduce social division, who spoke to protesters during the march.

“We heard people who are fed up with politicians who didn’t understand their experience, or said they felt big businesses were ripping working people off and asked why billionaires needed so much money.

“One striking thing that came through in the conversations was the level of misinformation there is online about refugees and asylum seekers.”

Sharpe warned that the rhetoric heard at the march from the leaders of Unite the Kingdom, especially the far-right activist known as Tommy Robinson, was “divisive and Islamophobic”.

French activists from the “right-wing feminist” group Collectif Nemesis went on stage wearing Islamic niqabs, encouraged the crowd to boo, and then theatrically removed them to reveal short dresses underneath.

“In doing so, they ignored the very real dangers faced by visibly Muslim women in the UK and encouraged more hostility towards this group,” Sharpe told The Tablet.

“The rally was saturated with Christian symbols and language, but as a Christian myself, I was reminded of the parable of the Good Samaritan and the need for us to see the religious other as merciful.

“We Christians need to remove the plank in our own eye before trying to remove the speck in anyone else’s,” he concluded.

The Muslim Women’s Network also condemned the stunt. Its chief executive officer, Baroness Gohir, said, “It was deliberate humiliation of Muslim women and a public display of anti-Muslim hostility aimed at dehumanising visibly Muslim women and reducing their religious dress to a source of ridicule and contempt.

“The actions signal that targeting visibly Muslim women with intimidation and abuse is acceptable. Such stunts have a direct and harmful impact on the safety and well-being of Muslim women.

“They reinforce harmful stereotypes, embolden harassment, and contribute to a climate of fear where women who choose to wear the hijab, niqab, or burka face increased verbal abuse, physical intimidation, or worse on the streets.”

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