Former Archbishop of Canterbury among Church leaders concerned by ‘misuse of Christianity’ at ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally

Church leaders said in an open letter they are ‘deeply concerned’ by ‘co-opting of Christian symbols, particularly the cross’.

One of the signatories, Steve Chalke, the prominent Baptist minister and founder of Oasis Charitable Trust, said, “Whenever Christianity is co-opted to support violence, misogyny or racism it loses its very soul.”

The letter was published in The Sunday Times and Sunday Mirror last weekend. Signatories included Lord Williams of Oystermouth, former Archbishop of Canterbury, and Bishop of Winchester Philip Mounstephen.

They said, “As Christians from different theological and political backgrounds we stand together against the misuse of Christianity. The cross is the ultimate sign of sacrifice for the other. Jesus calls us to love both our neighbours and our enemies and to welcome the stranger. Any co-opting or corrupting of the Christian faith to exclude others is unacceptable.”

As many as 150,000 people attended the rally on 13 September in central London, organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson who described it as a “freedom of speech” event. Police have appealed for help to identify a number of people they are seeking in connection with public order offences and assaults. At one point during the rally, Elon Musk spoke to marchers via video link, warning that violence was coming: “You either fight back or you die.”

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