No room for complacency

Daniel Trilling has an excellent article in today's Guardian where he lists 10 dangerous misconceptions about the far right.

The British far-right should be having a ball. With the economy faltering, austerity biting and economic pessimism growing, the conditions for racism and racist scapegoating could hardly be better. But, as Nick Lowles and Matthew Collins report in their essay on the current state of the British far right, racist groups are contracting and morale is dropping.

Their essay concludes: “The British far right is fragmented and bitterly divided and in the short term this will continue. While we might enjoy the short-term respite there is no room for complacency. Sooner or later the traditional far-right, in the guise of the BNP or EDL, or the Radical Right, in the guise of UKIP, will re-emerge as a major political threat. In the meantime, we should brace ourselves for an upsurge in organised and unorganised racist and political violence.”

They have written this essay to help HOPE not hate decide a strategy for the next couple of years. Over the next few weeks their website will host a discussion on the future of the far right and to help shape their response. They would appreciate our views.

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Ben Harper - Like A King.

RE Lesson: Justice

Yesterday I taught the following to a Year 7 RE class at Seven Kings High School. Tomorrow, I'll be repeating the lesson with another Year 7 class.

Jesus told stories to challenge those listening to him. He wanted them to think outside the box particularly when thinking about issues of justice. This is one of the stories he told – Luke 10. 30 - 35. What do you think his story is about?

To fully understand the story we need to see where it comes in the Bible. This is what comes before and after the story – Luke 10. 25 – 29, 36 & 37. How do you think the story answers the question, ‘Who is my neighbour?’

It will also help us understand the story even better if we know something of what the society of Jesus’ day was like. The relationship between the Jews and Samaritans was very similar to the relationship between Jews and Arabs today, or to any relationship marked by strong racial or cultural prejudice. The Jews at the time considered Samaritans as social outcasts, untouchables, racially inferior, practicing a false religion. They avoided any association with Samaritans, travelling long distances out of their way to avoid passing through a Samaritan area. Any close physical contact, drinking water from a common bucket, eating a meal with a Samaritan, would make a Jew ceremonially unclean - unable to participate in temple worship for a period of time – this may be why the priest and Levite don’t stop to help. The Samaritans responded quite naturally to all this with strong dislike or hatred for Jews.

So, knowing that Jesus is telling this story to Jews, in his time, who hate Samaritans, what is he trying to teach them? Who is the neighbour of the Jewish man in the story? Who helps who in the story? Why is the story about receiving help as well as giving it?

Now that we have worked out what the story is about and what Jesus was wanting people to think about and learn through the story, what do you think the story means Christians should do today about racial injustice? Crime? Neighbourliness?

In a recent assembly on racism at St Edward’s Church of England School I said, ‘Jesus taught that all people should love one another as He loves us and that all people, regardless of race or skin colour, are created in the likeness of God. In Genesis 1. 26 – 27 we read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth... God said, 'Let us make Man in our own image and likeness ...’ So God made Man in his own image and likeness, male and female He created them.”  This means that there is no reason for racial prejudice, or prejudice of any kind. Because we are all created by God in his image, Christians believe that we are all children of God and life is much better when we share what each race has to give - music, clothes, food, beliefs, skills etc.’

The churches in East London have tried to live this out in practical ways. For example, at the time of the last General and Local Elections, the British National Party (the BNP) had 11 councillors in Barking & Dagenham and was expecting to gain more so that it would become the biggest party on the Council and was also expecting its leader, Nick Griffin, to be elected as the MP for Barking.

The BNP is a far-right political party but one that is rooted in racist and fascist thinking. As Christians we viewed its message as being one of hate because, for example, the BNP believes that white people are genetically superior to black people and that black and Asian people can never be British, even if they were born here. Therefore we decided we had to act to encourage people in the faith communities, including the churches, to vote and to vote for any party except the BNP.

We worked with a national campaign called Hope Not Hate helping to fund a faiths worker who went to all faith groups in the borough explaining why this was such an important issue and encouraging them to vote to stop the BNP from winning. We also leafleted in the borough, organised publicity for the campaign, and held a gospel concert to promote the campaign.

And the great thing is that we won. This is how Hope Not Hate reported the outcome:

"It's official: the BNP suffered a humiliating defeat in yesterday's election. Not only did the BNP fail to elect Nick Griffin or Simon Darby to Parliament, they also failed to take any council seats in Barking & Dagenham and Stoke-on-Trent. The BNP is divided and defeated - and it's all thanks to you ... this ... victory ... belongs to all of us who stood for hope, not hate."

So we’ve looked at some of the things that it is important for Christians to remember as we read stories in the Bible and think about their meaning for us today. We’ve also looked at some ways in which we try to apply to teachings we find in the Bible to issues of justice today.

What I’d like you to do next is to try this for yourselves. I’ve got a different story from the Bible for you and I’d like you to read it and think about the three ways of thinking about stories that we used earlier: 

• What is the story about?
• Where does it come in the Bible? and
• What do I need to know about society at the time in order to understand the story?

I’d like us to read it and talk about it in small groups. When you think you need some extra information, please ask me. Here is the story – John 8. 1 – 11:

“Jesus went across to Mount Olives, but he was soon back in the Temple again. Swarms of people came to him. He sat down and taught them. The religion scholars and Pharisees led in a woman who had been caught in an act of adultery. They stood her in plain sight of everyone and said, "Teacher, this woman was caught red-handed in the act of adultery. Moses, in the Law, gives orders to stone such persons. What do you say?" They were trying to trap him into saying something incriminating so they could bring charges against him.

Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger in the dirt. They kept at him, badgering him. He straightened up and said, "The sinless one among you, go first: Throw the stone." Bending down again, he wrote some more in the dirt.

Hearing that, they walked away, one after another, beginning with the oldest. The woman was left alone. Jesus stood up and spoke to her. "Woman, where are they? Does no one condemn you?"

"No one, Master."

"Neither do I," said Jesus. "Go on your way. From now on, don't sin."

[The Law of Moses is the whole collection of written laws given through Moses to the people of Israel, which consist of many ceremonies, rituals, and symbols, to remind the people frequently of their duties and responsibilities. The Pharisees were a particular group in Jewish society with their own specific interpretation of the Law of Moses for which they claimed Mosaic authority. They are presented in the New Testament as being in regular debate and dispute with Jesus. Jesus seemed to think that the Law of Moses was being used to condemn and exclude people from the worship of God in the Temple when it was intended to draw people to God. He also seemed to think that obeying the detail of religious observances could prevent people from giving much needed help to those in difficulty – this is why the priest and Levite are criticised in the story of the Good Samaritan.]

What do you think this story has to say about the way Christians should think about justice and injustice? Why do you think that, based on this story?

In these two stories – one told by Jesus and one about him – we see him saying that we are all the same, whatever our race, colour, religion, class etc. - in two important aspects: first, we are all neighbours and as a result should give and receive love from one another; second, we are all sinners – those who fail to be perfect like God is perfect – and therefore we should bear with, understand and forgive each others faults and failings while encouraging each other to live differently in future.

On the basis of the kind of actions, stories and teachings of Jesus that we have thought about today, Christians have got involved in approaches to justice like that involved in restorative justice.

Restorative justice is a theory of justice that emphasizes repairing the harm caused or revealed by criminal behaviour. Restorative justice aims to create opportunities for victims, offenders and community members who want to do so to meet to discuss the crime and its aftermath. It expects offenders to take steps to repair the harm they have caused. It seeks to restore victims and offenders to being whole contributing members of society and it provides opportunities for parties with a stake in a specific crime to participate in its resolution.

Restorative justice has three principles which seem to fit with what we have seen of Jesus’ example and teaching today: 

• Justice requires that we work to restore those who have been injured.
• Those most directly involved and affected by crime should have the opportunity to participate fully in the response if they wish.
• Government's role is to preserve a just public order, and the community's is to build and maintain a just peace.

In restorative justice programmes the victim and offender encounter one another.  This might be done directly in a meeting between the two (and perhaps others as well) with a facilitator assisting them but can also be done indirectly through exchange of letters, videos and by messages delivered by a third party. Stories of confession, forgiveness and reconciliation forcefully remind us of the relational wounds caused by crime and the need to address those. 

Restorative justice seeks to repair the harm done by crime. Whenever possible this repair should be done by the persons responsible for the harm. That is why restorative justice values efforts by offenders to make amends. There are four elements of making amends: apology, changed behaviour, restitution, and generosity. Each element has potential for helping the victim to heal and the offender to become a productive part of the community, although usually more than one will be involved in a restorative outcome. It is the victim and offender who decide which ones are important and feasible in particular cases. That is why restorative encounters are important.

Crime causes injuries.  It also can result in both the victim and offender feeling stigmatized.  Therefore, restorative justice places a high value on the reintegration of the victim and of the offender. The goal is to have them become whole, contributing members of their communities. Reintegration occurs when the victim or offender can become active and productive parts of their communities. To accomplish this, victims and offenders must find communities with the following characteristics: (1) mutual respect for those in the community, (2) mutual commitment to others in the community, and (3) intolerance for - but understanding of - deviant behaviour by members of the community. 

Restorative justice processes are also more inclusive than traditional criminal justice processes in that they actively invite all affected parties - victims, offenders, and community members - to participate in resolving the crime.

An example of these approaches in practice is Sycamore Tree, which:

• is a six session programme, run in prisons, focusing on raising victim awareness, and based on the principles of restorative justice;
• challenges attitudes and behaviour by teaching and encouraging offenders to take responsibility for their actions towards victims and the community – to recognise the wrong they have done, the impact it has had on others, and the need to put things right;
• enables offenders to hear from ‘surrogate victims’ about their experiences of crime; and to reflect on the impact and harm caused, and the need for apology and reparation;
• uses the story of Zacchaeus from the Bible as a framework;
• is run at the invitation of Prison Service Chaplaincy, by trained Prison Fellowship staff and with volunteers from all Christian denominations, who through prayer, practical action and values based programmes, seek to restore those affected by crime; and
• has been run more than 330 times since 1999, involving four thousand prisoners in more than 25% of all prisons.

 “Sycamore Tree made me realise the pain I caused to my victim, the families and myself. I wanted to take responsibility for what I had done.” A young offender

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Julie and Buddy Miller - Broken Things.

English roots without racism

Click here for an excellent post by Sam Norton which links to a Matt Wardman post answering the question 'Is the BNP racist?' (the answer is yes) and linking to the Show of Hands song 'Roots' which argues that we need to understand and appreciate our English roots, without taking on board the racism that characterises the BNP.

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Show of Hands - Roots.

Because Britain matters

Here is the latest important message from HOPE not hate:

"We're not going to tell you how to vote we're going to tell you why.

If we sit back and choose not to vote we will let the BNP in through the backdoor. They will win seats in tomorrows election. Britain will be represented by racists. But all this can be stopped by you. A BNP victory would betray all that Britain stands for.

We've made a video featuring Eddie Izzard talking to Ken, a WWII war veteran, and Gisela, who lived in Nazi Germany during the 1930s - people who have had first hand experience of what happens when fascists seize power. I'd like you to watch it and then share it with your friends.

65 years ago brave men and women took to arms to protect us all from the perils of fascism. They gave everything and more to keep the Nazi threat off of British soil.

All you have to do is vote. Each of us has the responsibility to stop the BNP. The best way we can do that is to not only to vote ourselves but to encourage everyone we know to go out and do the same. Every person you get to the polls to vote for any other party makes it harder for the BNP to win a seat. Email your friends now and remind them to vote tomorrow."

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Billy Bragg - A New England.

Faith leaders unite against BNP

My comments, and those of other faith leaders, urging people not to vote for the BNP at the European elections next Thursday have been reported in this week's Ilford Recorder. The church magazine article referred to can be read by clicking here. In it, I wrote:

"Just as, at Pentecost, God poured out his Spirit on old and young, men and women, so we see a diversity to our congregation here at St John’s and also among the Churches of Redbridge. That diversity is given to us so that we can proclaim the message of God to people of every ethnicity, age, gender, disability, sexuality and religion. And we need the Holy Spirit’s power, gifts and enabling to make that happen.

As the Early Church grew and as God’s message spread there were people who tried to restrict this wonderful new diversity. In the same way today, there are those in our society, like the BNP, who want to place restrictions on this diversity. The BNP are currently trying to convince people that they are persecuted like Christ. This is the ultimate irony because their message is the absolute reverse of all that Jesus taught and lived out in his ministry and death. In the coming European elections we must clearly reject the racist policies of the far-right in order to reflect and live in the diversity of Pentecost."

Click here for the national line on the issue as reported in this week's Church Times. For up-to-date information on the HOPE not hate campaign, which celebrates modern Britain and exposes the extremism behind the BNP, click here.

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The Staple Singers - Slippery People.

Hope not hate

The following is the latest message from the Hope not Hate campaign:

"The BNP are preparing a high profile billboard campaign claiming that Jesus Christ would support their policies of racism and hate were He on earth today.

Statements like these - designed to cause offence and whip up tension between faiths - show the reality behind the BNP's politics of fear.

But we believe in something better - in hope, not hate. And to show this, we've launched a campaign to bring 10,000 people, of all faiths and none, to unite in condemnation of the BNP's paper thin attempts to divide us.

Please join us in telling the BNP that we're united by hope: http://action.hopenothate.org.uk/uniteagainstfear.

I've been campaigning against the BNP for nineteen years now. But it's at moments like this that you realise nothing is beyond the pale for them. That they respect nothing and no-one. They will cynically use words of peace, love and justice as camouflage for their bigotry. And if this is how they campaign, just imagine how they'd act as our representatives in the European Parliament.

The BNP billboard asks a simple question - What would Jesus do? Whether you're religious or not - when the choice is between a belief in hope, justice and love or division, suppression and fear, the answer is pretty clear.

Please help us unite 10,000 people against the BNP's outrageous and offensive campaign. To reach this goal, and to send the clearest message possible, I need your help - we need our supporters to go out and organise - to get their friends and family to stand with you in your defiance of the BNP.

So please sign the petition and then invite your friends to join us by forwarding this email or using the invite tool after you sign the petition. I need you to take action - and ownership - of this campaign. It's the only way we'll meet this goal."

The following comes from Ekklesia:

"Three British Churches have reminded people of the 'true Christian message of love' for all people following the inclusion of Jesus in a BNP election campaign.

Their statement comes after the Church of England declined to comment on the posters which feature a bible verse quoting Jesus' words about persecution, in the run up to the European Elections in June.

The adverts contain a picture of Jesus Christ on the cross and quotes a part of a verse from John's Gospel (John 15:20) in which Jesus says: "If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you". The verse comes in the context of Jesus' teaching about love.

Christine Elliott, Secretary for External Relations for The Methodist Church, said: “When Jesus was asked about what was the most important rule of life he said: 'Love God with all of your being and love your neighbour as yourself.'

“It’s ironic that the BNP is using the world’s most famous Jew to promote its racist message.

“Our traditions have a history of promoting racial justice and inclusion and rejecting messages of hate and fear.

“It is always important that people go out and vote, especially in these extremely difficult economic times. Sadly, in the past, economic problems have been exploited by extremists as opportunities to scapegoat minorities.”

The three churches will be launching an election pack at the end of April, which will call on local church leaders to engage positively with politicians and reject racist political activity."

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Tracy Chapman - Across The Lines.

Good news in by-elections

Good news in that the BNP failed to gain a seat in the Cranbrook ward by-election in Redbridge yesterday. Polling 37 votes they were kept in last place behind all the three main parties contesting the election. Unite Against Fascism activists turned out to leaflet the ward against the BNP threat in the run up to the polls.

The results were as follows:
Matthew Chaudhary - Conservative PartyVotes cast: 1625 - Elected ( 59.98%)
Barbara White - Labour PartyVotes cast: 729 ( 26.91%)
Helen Angela Duffett - Liberal Democrats PartyVotes cast: 318 (11.74%)
Anthony Young - British National Party Votes cast: 37 (1.36%)

The turnout for the by-election was 30.5%.

In further news from the by-elections (Campaign news from www.stopthebnp.com), the leader of Barking and Dagenham's BNP group has made a new outburst, this time against one of the borough's most respected clergymen. Cllr Bob Bailey called Rev Roger Gayler, vicar of St Mark's, Rose Lane, Marks Gate, a fascist for getting involved in politics.

Mr Gayler took the unusual step of having 2,000 anti-BNP leaflets printed ahead of Thursday's council by-election in Chadwell Heath. Cllr Bailey - who last month warned Barking College principal Ted Parker against hosting anti-racism events and before May's London Assembly elections, launched a tirade of abuse at Recorder staff - argued with the vicar three days before the by-election.

Mr Gayler, who received Barking and Dagenham's highest distinction, the Freedom of the Borough, last year, told the Recorder: "He said this is against the democratic process." I said, 'No, this is about the democratic process - we're all free to express our opinion'. Then he called me a fascist and threw the leaflet. "I find it rather amazing he called me a fascist. I thought it was interesting. It shows, as far as I'm concerned, the man was rattled and what we were doing was reasonably effective." Cllr Bailey said he had had a conversation with Mr Gayler on his doorstep and did not deny he had referred to him as "a fascist".

He told the Recorder: "He shouldn't interfere with politics. He should concentrate on what his church is there for, which is ministering to his people. There are enough people that need help, without delving into politics.

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Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Trouble In Mind.

Scaremongering & scapegoating

The following is my response to Richard Barnbrook's comments in last week's Ilford Recorder about St John's Seven Kings which was sent to Chris Carter, the editor of the Ilford Recorder, but has not been published:

In his comments about St John’s Seven Kings in last week's Recorder, Richard Barnbrook was up to his usual tricks of scaremongering and scapegoating. The reality is very different from his insinuations. St John’s has been a multi-racial congregation for many years and my predecessor Gordon Tarry, who was here for 13 years, has also spoken publically in opposition to the policies and views of far-right organisations such as the BNP. We remain a vibrant, welcoming parish that by our very existence demonstrates the prejudice inherent in the policies of the BNP. The choice facing our communities is stark; to welcome and enjoy the diversity that is, albeit imperfectly, represented by the worshipping community at St John’s or to choose the hatred of others that characterises the policies of the far-right and the scaremongering of Richard Barnbrook.

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Gospel workshop - Shackles.

HOPE not Hate

Nick Lowles' assessment (on the HOPE not Hate site) of the national and London results makes for an interesting read. In relation to London he says this:

"So the BNP has one person on the London Assembly.

If someone had offered us this two days ago, coupled with a net gain of just ten councillors across the country, we would have jumped at it. The media's one-sided obsession with immigration and migration and in particular the BBC's and Channel Four's fascination with the anniversary of Enoch Powell, together with the obvious collapse in support for Labour, meant we entered polling day fearing the worst. Even the BNP was predicting 40 new councillors and three on the London Assembly.

That they didn't achieve this was down to the hard work of literally thousands of activists across London and the rest of the country. We have never had so many people involved in the anti-BNP campaign before. Against the odds, both political and climatic, decent people took to the streets and campaigned for HOPE not hate.

We suffered a few defeats but overall we held back the BNP, and in many areas we actually reduced their vote.

Even in London, their biggest prize, we succeeded. In 2004 the BNP polled 4.8%, just missing out on a seat by 0.2%. In the same election UKIP polled over 8%. Since 2004 the BNP has grown significantly in outer East London and generally become a household brand. With the collapse of UKIP we really believed that the BNP were on course for two, if not three, seats.

In the end they just got one. They polled 5.4%, hardly increasing their share of the vote. Obviously, the BNP getting anyone elected is bad but we can all be proud that we helped keep them to just that. Indeed, for much of the day we actually thought there was a chance that we were going to stop them altogether."

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Mary Mary - Can't Give Up Now.

Lancaster Unity link

Good to see that turn-out in the London Mayoral election has been high. Yesterday's Ilford Recorder reported my speech to the Redbridge & Epping Forest TOGETHER rally which led to some interesting information and comment on the Lancaster Unity blog, which can be found here.

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Mavis Staples - 99 & 1/2.

Bishop says "Vote for ONE human race on 1st May"

The following is a statement which the Bishop of Barking is issuing for use in his Episcopal Area (and beyond) requesting that it be read out in churches this Sunday. Please feel free to pass it to ecumenical colleagues.

Bishop says "Vote for ONE human race on 1st May"

The Bishop of Barking is urging all church members and people of goodwill to vote on 1st May in the London and local authority elections. The Right Reverend David Hawkins says "It is a Christian duty to vote, not least in these elections where as little as 5% for the British National Party could give the BNP a seat on the London Assembly. Whoever else we vote for we must stop racist politics making gains in London and elsewhere."

The BNP has 47 local councillors across the country, including 12 in Barking and Dagenham and 6 in Epping Forest District. The Bishop has been working with churches and others across London (and Essex) to respond to the BNP. A joint paper between the Bishop and the Churches Racial Justice Network articulates a strong and informed response to racist politics, "based on the Christian belief that all people are created as ONE race, the human race."

Clergy across London have joined the Bishop in urging Londoners not to vote BNP in the coming elections. Revd Stephen Sichel is Vicar of St Matthew’s Brixton. He voted for a motion on racist political parties in the Diocese of Southwark’s Synod which mandated all churches "to ensure respect for all citizens is part of the contribution made by churches to local dialogue".

The BNP constitution states that it "stands for the preservation of the national and ethnic character of the British people and is wholly opposed to any form of racial integration".

Parish priests in Bethnal Green, Walthamstow, Ilford, Hackney, Islington and elsewhere have also supported the Bishop’s call for people to vote for ONE human race. Fr Alan Green Vicar of St John’s Bethnal Green said “I rejoice in the rich cultural diversity of our community. I hope people of faith will vote for those who are committed to London remaining a city where many cultures work together for the common good.”

Other church leaders across the UK have also been urging the faithful to vote for parties which are not racist. In Birmingham, church and other faith leaders are on record for having said "voting for or supporting a political party that offers racist policies is like spitting in the face of God".

“Each vote for the BNP," says the Bishop of Barking, "will put into reverse the patient, strategic work of healthy, race relations and social integration that is developing in our London Boroughs, Essex and else where in the country. We are members of one human race. We must vote for it the ballot box on 1st May.

END

For enquiries about the Bishop's Response Group to the BNP"contact: Fr Steven Saxby – 020 8520 3854; stevensaxby@btinternet.com.

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Love Music Hate Racism - concert visuals.

Honest, impassioned dialogue

Just back from a very interesting meeting of the East London Three Faiths Forum in which Bishop Michael Nazir Ali spoke on faith in a plural community at the Ilford Islamic Centre.

Hopefully, I'll be able to post a summary before too long of the Bishop's speech from the notes I took but this post is just some of my initial reactions to that speech and the impassioned debate that followed.

The Bishop argued strongly for accountability, integration, reciprocity, a recognition of plurality, and government by consent in addressing and expressing faith within plural communities. He argued that the British approach to multiculturalism and tolerance had led to a benign neglect of minority ethnic communities. He was challenged strongly about his comments regarding 'no go' areas with many of those responding to his speech arguing that such comments were irresponsible and inflammatory when Muslim communities felt under threat as a minority community in Britain and when Western Christian armies were fighting in Muslim countries. The Bishop held his ground on this issue saying that he had spoken not about the Muslim community as a whole but only of the actions of extremists which in some circumstances had led to Christian converts from Islam in Britain requiring police protection. He argued that the Muslim community needed to acknowledge and work to counter extremism within its own community.

The Bishop's speech itself was well received by those present although some of those responding thought that the comments the Bishop had made in the press about no go areas and the veil were not appropriate expressions of the views he had shared in the speech. The debate following the speech was impassioned but honest and the evening was a positive experience of dialogue with both the Ilford Islamic Centre and the Bishop needing to be acknowledged for their openness to engage in that dialogue.

I felt that the dialogue would have been enhanced by a greater acknowledgement of the sense of threat and hurt felt felt by the Muslim community at the military actions of the West in Muslim countries while continuing to hold the line on the suffering experienced by some Christians within some Muslim states or communities. I think too that, at the same time that the call is made for Muslim communities to deal with the extremists in their midst, it is also important for the Christian community to clearly condemn those such as 'The Christian Council of Great Britain', who are extremists promoting the racist views of the BNP under a Christian banner. The Church, as a whole, has been clear about its opposition to the views of the BNP and their associates (see the Bishop of Durham's recent statement, for example) but an acknowledgement of the need for such statements from the Church is not often made in the context of a call for the Muslim community to acknowledge and deal with extremists in their midst. That connection was not made tonight, although a comment relating to this issue was made.

The East London Three Faiths Forum has been a positive forum for disalogue between the Abrahamic faiths and this meeting, despite its controversial billing and impassioned debate, was another valuable opportunity for honest dialogue to occur.

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Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Peter Gabriel - Signal To Noise.

Hope not Hate

Most Churches shy away from instructing people on how to vote but the Church of England in the Barking Episcopal Area has recently been working with the racial justice team of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and the Methodist Church to produce guidance for our congregations on exploring a Christian response to far-right political parties including the BNP. At tonight's Redbridge & Epping Forest TOGETHER rally, I shared some of the key messages from that guidance:

"Most churches are agreed that the racist policies and fascist philosophy of the British National Party are incompatible with Christian faith. In addition to being a racist party, the BNP belong to a fascist political tradition which has sought to do away with democracy and personal / collective freedom, both of which must be at the heart of any political system compatible with Christianity.
Many denominations and Christian leaders have expressed their concern about and their opposition to far-right political parties:

• The Church of England “believes that voting for and/or supporting a political party that offers racist policies is incompatible with Christian discipleship.”
• “The Methodist Church expects members of the Methodist Church to practice and promote racial justice and inclusion, and reject any political parties that attempt to stir up racial hatred and fear of asylum seekers.”
• The United Reformed Church affirms “that membership of or support for organizations such as the BNP is incompatible with Christian discipleship.”
• The Baptist Union of Great Britain “encourages full voting participation in local, national and European elections, but urges people not to vote for candidates who promote, give assent to, or are associated with racist policies.”
• The Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales has said that “All political parties have a responsibility to be clear and unequivocal in their refusal to collude with racism.”
• The African and Caribbean Evangelical Alliance states that “The BNP may present its election message as ‘Christian’, but as it is based on the divisive and racist agenda inherent to that party, it is clearly out of step with the message of freedom and belonging that is central to the Christian faith.”

One trend that is causing great alarm among churches is the tactic of presenting a racist agenda as “Christian.” This has been done explicitly by an organization called “The Christian Council of Great Britain” led by BNP member Robert West. We are deeply concerned that such people are appropriating Christian language and symbols for policies that are the very opposite of Christian values.

The response of Churches to the BNP is based on the Christian belief that all people are created as one race, the human race. The Christian view is that all people are made in the image of God and this leads us to a vision of a just community where people of all backgrounds live together in equality. The BNP, and organisations such as The Christian Council of Great Britain, clearly reject that vision and so, as Christian churches, we oppose the racist policies and fascist philosophy of the BNP stating clearly that they are incompatible with Christian faith and calling on all Church members to use their vote for democracy and against the BNP. "

The key message from the rally was the importance of turnout in the election. There is a real risk of the BNP gains Assembly seats but doing so will be harder the higher the turnout in the election. It is vital that as many people as possible exercise their democratic right and vote against the BNP.

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Curtis Mayfield - We Gotta Have Peace.

Church hustings for London Mayor

More can be found on the Church hustings for London Mayor at Ekklesia. Of the six minority candidates standing for election as London mayor, only the one standing on an explicitly Christian ticket has been invited to attend the main hustings event for churches in central London.

I've written the following for Pilgrimage, the St John's magazine, on approaches to voting:

On 1st May Londoners will elect a new Mayor and London Assembly. There are 10 Mayoral candidates, 153 Assembly Member candidates and 20 different political parties taking part in the contest. So how should you vote as a Christian?

The first thing to say is that we should all vote. A lot of cynicism exists about politics in the UK but we have the fundamental human right of a democratic vote, something that people in other parts of the world risk their lives to gain or use, and we should not waste the opportunity we have to contribute to the democratic process.

After all, we have something to contribute and share because Christianity engages with and has something to say on all the major issues facing our society and world - environmental degradation; international poverty; health and the NHS; education and schools; defence, foreign affairs and terrorism; crime, law and order; race, asylum and immigration; Europe and the EU; the economy; pensions; and transport.

However, the Bible and Church tradition does not provide a set of political policies that we can simply adopt, instead Biblical and Church approaches to issues over the centuries can help us formulate a series of principles against which we might evaluate party manifestos and promises. We need to think and pray through the issues, ask questions that matter to us, and reflect on our own priorities and what we understand to be the priorities emerging from the Bible and Church tradition, both for ourselves and for the society in which we live.

We won’t all agree; which is why Christians can be found in all the main political parties. It is also an issue with parties that aim to present a Christian voice – in this election Christian Choice are taking this approach and encouraging Churches and their members to support them. This approach suggests that there is agreement on key issues and policies on those issues among Christians and agreement that we have to tackle those issues in our own way and not in partnership with others (as happens when Christians are members of other parties). But that agreement does not exist. However, leaflets about Christian Choice are available in the Church lounge so you can make up your own mind.

I cannot tell you how to vote but I do encourage to vote and try to think about the issues and the parties in terms of your understanding of the Bible and Church tradition before you do vote.

One thing that does seem clear to me however is that we should oppose prejudice and any party, such as the BNP, which seeks to exploit or stir up prejudice among voters and within our communities. That is why I have been happy to accept an invitation to speak at the Redbridge & Epping TOGETHER rally at the Town Hall which encourages people to vote in favour of democracy and against the BNP.

Ultimately, voting is not easy, as it demands a difficult prioritisation of issues, or appealing, when the options available may fail to inspire allegiance. But it remains an important privilege and responsibility for those who live in a democracy, and if Christians can engage with the issues seriously, vote wisely and provide an antidote to consumer politics, democracy will be healthier for it.

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The Charlatans - Blank Heart, Blank Mind.

BNP targetting May elections

Just received the following from Unite:

The BNP is targeting the May elections. The BNP could get elected to the London Assembly as they require only 5% of the vote. In the previous London elections the BNP polled 4.9%.

Once again the BNP were exposed this week. Nick Eriksen, the second candidate on the BNP list, has withdrawn his candidacy after he was exposed for writing sexist, racist and offensive comments on a blog in which he uses the name "Sir John Bull". Eriksen was also a former Conservative councillor in Southwark. Here are some quotes from this blog:

• In one post ('RAPE: LIES, LIES, LIES', 24th August 2005), Eriksen says: "I've never really understood why so many men have allowed themselves to be brainwashed by the feminazi myth machine into believing that rape is such a serious crime." http://sirjohnbull.blogspot.com/2005/08/rape-lies-lies-lies.html.
• "..the South Africans will never stage a proper World Cup, how could they? It's a black country."http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/dec/21/thefarright.politics.
• "What a ridiculous fuss was made about the so-called 'monkey noises' directed against the English football team's black players by Spanish supporters recently." (Right Now! December 2004-January 2005).

Every leaflet, every event and activity made a difference and helped stop the BNP in London last time. The majority of Londoners are anti-racist and anti-fascist. The majority must make their voice heard.

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The Style Council - Walls Come Tumbling Down.

Ash Wednesday sermon

There is a great scene in Monty Python’s Life of Brian where Brian’s Mum and all the other women in his town buy false beards and begin speaking in low tones so that they can pretend to be men and therefore can go to the public stoning. In that scene, the women’s enthusiasm to be present at the stoning and to cast the first stone is symptomatic of our desire to scapegoat other people. We love nothing better, they were saying, than to single out a victim, gang up on that person and see them abused or killed.

We see this happening in our schools when children are bullied. We see it in politics when a party like the BNP succeeds in local elections by persuading people that all their problems are caused by refugees and asylum seekers.

A teacher at the Asian Friendship Centre in Forest Gate, a project supported by the Church Urban Fund, gives just one example from many, of “A young man from Pakistan had limited English. He was laughed at in school and was very lonely.” Forest Gate has high levels of poverty, unemployment and crime, which leave many locally feeling isolated from mainstream society - scapegoated. As a base for social gatherings and employment and educational support, the Asian Friendship Centre is a vital resource which helps to make local people feel a welcome part of their community.

The Church Urban Fund has also been actively involved in the Poverty and Homelessness Week which has just ended. Alison Gelder, Chief Executive of Housing Justice, said: “Churches rightly pay lots of attention to poverty and hunger in the third world but often fail to appreciate the extent of the problem at home … [It is] a scandal that in this the fifth biggest economy in the world more than one in five people are living in poverty … For most people in poverty in Britain it is not about literally being homeless or having no money but about not being able to fully participate in society.”

People at the margins of society such as families having to endure cramped overcrowded accommodation, asylum seekers who are suffering destitution, disabled people having to live in inappropriate housing and families forced into debt in order to afford everyday items, end up being scapegoats for the rest of society.

So the Pythons were right when we look around our world we see many examples of a rush to scapegoat other people. What do our Bible readings have to say to us about this very human tendency?

In our Gospel reading (John 8. 1-11), Jesus is faced with a dilemma involving a scapegoat. A woman has been caught in adultery, the Law of Moses says that she should be stoned, and the teachers of the law bring her to Jesus and ask him what they should do.

The woman is a scapegoat because she has been singled out. It is she, not her partner in adultery, which has been brought before Jesus. And it is she that has been singled out, not any other of the men or women in that place who might have committed adultery.

How does Jesus respond? He says that anyone there who has never sinned should be the one to cast the first stone and begin the stoning. One by one, everyone in the crowd leaves because no one has never sinned. Each of us is a sinner and, therefore, none of us are in a place where we can honestly judge another person. That other person is guilty of sinning but so are we, how then can we judge them?

The one person in that situation who had a right to cast the first stone because he was without sin was Jesus. And he says, “I do not condemn you.” In verse 15 of chapter 8, Jesus says, “You make judgments in a purely human way; I pass judgment on no one.”

This is a crystal clear statement from Jesus about our tendency to scapegoat others. Because of our sin, we cannot in all conscience condemn another person and God himself does not condemn or judge either. Jesus makes it plain and clear that scapegoating others is wrong in every circumstance.

Lent prepares us for Easter and at Easter we remember that God himself became a scapegoat when he was nailed to the cross for the sins of the whole world. Jesus became the ultimate scapegoat in order that there should be no more scapegoating because his death shows us clear and plain that God accepts and forgives all people.

Often, we prepare ourselves during Lent for Easter by giving something up. This is a form of fasting but it is not meant to be focused on ourselves, like a diet is as we try to lose wait. Instead fasting or self denial should be focused outside of ourselves.

The reading from Isaiah (58. 1-12) says that the kind of fasting that God wants is for us to “remove the chains of oppression and the yoke of injustice, and let the oppressed go free.” As those who follow God, we should actively work for the relief of those who are scapegoated in our world. The two things can go together as, by denying ourselves luxuries during Lent, we can release money to go to those who have been scapegoated here and in other parts of the world.

If we were to give up having a bag of crisps or a bar of chocolate a day, by the end of Lent we could give £12. If we were to give up a bottle of wine once a week, we could give £20. If we gave up meals out during Lent, we could give £50 and if we gave up unnecessary luxuries in our weekly family shop, we could give £100. So, let’s use our Lent appeal for the Church Urban Fund, our Lent lunch and the other Lent information and ideas around to think about the ways in which we can give to the relief of oppression in our world this Lent.

But the kind of fasting that God calls for, the ending of scapegoating, isn’t just about giving financially. It is also about the ending of scapegoating in our own lives and communities. It means addressing the issues of bullying, in and out of school, among young people. It means resisting the calls of those, like the BNP, who want us to scapegoat asylum seekers and refugees instead of providing the welcome for which the Bible calls. It means living out hospitality and welcome to those of other faiths in our local community, as we will be discussing in our evening Lent course. Let us give willingly and joyfully to relive oppression in our country and throughout our world but let us not use that as a reason to avoid the challenges to counter scapegoating that arise in our own community as well.

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Living Colour - Solace Of You.

Love Music Hate Racism CD

Love Music Hate Racism has launched their biggest initiative to date - a 29-track double CD compilation featuring some of the country's biggest acts. Disc One of the CD appeared on the front of last weeks NME music magazine. Disc Two can be downloaded for free. LMHR & NME - with the support of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) - have also produced half a million empty CD sleeves to be distributed in schools, colleges, workplaces and gig venues across the UK over the next three months. The sleeves will enable people to burn their own copies of the double CD by downloading all the tracks for free from a specially-designed NME/LMHR website http://www.2marketing.co.uk/inc/rdr.asp?a=72734c372784c32 - along with anti-fascist leaflets and posters, artist video interviews live footage from LMHR gigs and much more.

The CD idea came about following the fascist British National Party (BNP) attempts to recruit school students with their racist poison and amid reports from Channel 4 among others of a significant rise in racist attacks and abuse inside schools. The CD has huge potential in taking the LMHR message to a huge audience, getting many new people involved in the campaign to stop the fascist BNP from dividing our communities and schools ahead of next year's local council and London Assembly elections - but only with YOUR help.

Schools, colleges, universities and workplaces are urged to order bulk copies of the CD sleeves. You can order any quantity of CD sleeves (minimum 68 - the amount in one box!) by emailing us: info@lovemusichateracism.com. Please put 'CD sleeves' somewhere in the subject line! The sleeves are free to student unions, courtesy of the NUS, but schools and trade union branches are asked for a voluntary contribution of 10p per sleeve ordered to cover postage and admin costs.

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The Ruts - Babylon is burning.