The Archbishop of Canterbury said far-right groups were “un-Christian” and that their use of Christian imagery in this summer’s riots was “outrageous”.
Writing in the Guardian, MP Justin Welby condemned the violent unrest as “racist”, “anti-Muslim, anti-refugee and anti-asylum seeker”. His intervention came after a week of violent unrest which began with the mass stabbing of children at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last month.
The unrest, in which rioters attacked a mosque, police officers and a hotel housing asylum seekers, was fuelled online by far-right activists who falsely claimed Muslim immigrants were behind the Southport attack.
Police across the country are on high alert for further violence. Prime Minister Keir Starmer cancelled a planned holiday this weekend to lead the response to the unrest. Ministers believe that increased police presence and the swift prosecution and sentencing of rioters has acted as a deterrent.
Thousands of anti-racism demonstrators rallied over the weekend in towns and cities including Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow and London. The funeral of nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, one of three children murdered in Southport, took place on Sunday.
The archbishop said the riots were “provoked by lies and fueled by deliberate misinformation spread rapidly online by bad actors with malicious motives,” and that the misinformation “thrived in fertile soil cultivated by years of rhetoric from some media outlets and politicians.”
Mr Welby condemned the use of Christian iconography by far-right rioters: “Christian iconography, as it has been misused by the far-right, is an affront to our faith and to Jesus, past and present,” he said.
“I say clearly to Christians that you should not associate with any far-right groups because they are un-Christian. I say clearly to people of other religions, especially Muslims, that I condemn those who exploit these images as fundamentally anti-Christian.”
Mr Welby praised local residents who tried to ease tensions, such as an Islamic imam in Liverpool who offered food and dialogue to a small group of far-right rioters, and a group of bricklayers in Southport who helped rebuild a destroyed mosque. “We must nurture and cherish these examples of civic virtue that counter the message of the mob,” he said.
Last week, photos went viral of imam Adam Kelwick and other worshippers at the Abdullah Quilliam Mosque in Liverpool interacting with and sharing food with people targeting the mosque.
Kelwick said afterwards: “The first people I approached acted as if they couldn’t see me and couldn’t see me, but I kept smiling and being friendly and moved on to the next group and eventually I won someone’s heart and they accepted the food.”
“Then people started getting their food and we started talking to them. There was a really heartfelt exchange. I asked maybe four or five people: ‘What exactly are you guys protesting against?’ Nobody had a clear answer. It just shows how frustrated and misguided a lot of people are.”
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Welby also works with international students to Clearing the Wreckage They escorted black nurses, a product of the riots, to hospitals and kept them working in the face of violent threats.
The pastor wrote that the Christian teaching to love your neighbour “extends to those who are different, even old enemies”, adding: “This country has sometimes shown its capacity to embrace differences. Let us learn from examples such as the imam in Liverpool and the pastor in Sunderland who have shown a better way forward in riot-hit areas, and build closer connections.”
Welby said reconciliation required “examining the deeper causes of division and facing uncomfortable truths”, adding that “communities left behind in the race to grow our nation reflect the rich and precious diversity of our country today”.
“We will have serious conversations about what it means to live well together, knowing that we have so much in common – in our streets, in our schools, our universities, our workplaces, our media and in our fundamental humanity. Embracing the opportunities and challenges that come with living in such a diverse country is a challenge for us all, and the past few weeks have made it clear that this work is long overdue.”
