Christians against the Far Right set up ‘listening table’ for UTK marchers

As thousands of Tommy Robinson fans gathered in central London on Saturday 16 May, Red Letter Christians, Better Story and Christians Against The Far Right set up a ‘listening table’ to speak to marchers leaving central London following the Unite The Kingdom rally.

There were two ‘listening stations’. One for those who attended the Unite the Kingdom rally and the other for those who may have felt unsafe as a result of the march.

The Baptist ministers and Anglican priests in attendance, who are against the co-option of Christianity by the Far Right, say more polarisation isn’t the answer. Instead, they say, we need to listen and understand before we can share our different perspectives.

Bishop Anderson Jeremiah 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.

As a church we have a duty of care to pay attention and be present in the community rather than waiting in our churches.

Tommy Sharpe, co-founder of Better Story, said:

Across the country, we’ve got far more that unites us than divides us. We all want billionaires to be made to contribute more to our communities. We’re all angry about the way big business rips us off.

We set up listening stations today to try and find those areas of common ground that unite us.

Rev Sally Mann, Baptist minister and co-director of Red Letter Christians, said:

We are here listening today because we believe that London needs peace envoys. We are creating a listening space for those who took part in the protest, and those who got caught up in it today.

We are praying for the peace of our city. And we’re confident witnesses to the Way of Jesus – a way of love and welcome, not division and fear.

East London priest Rev Rachel Summers said:

As Christians we are all on a journey of faith, to discover more what it means to love God and to love one another. Today we are here to be with those who have taken part in the protest, and to listen to them, and to be with those who’ve been caught up in it.

We are here as Christians to remind one another of our walk in faith of love, a perfect love that casts out fear.

Featured image via Better Story