Christianity 'Dilemma' for C of E over its response to far right's faith

Gary made sure he got to Whitehall early for the "unite the kingdom" (UTK) carol service in the run-up to Christmas.

- Harriet Sherwood Ben Quinn

After about 150,000 people turned up in September for the last rally called by Tommy Robinson, he wanted to be sure of a prime position.He needn’t have worried. About 1,500 people came to Whitehall to sing carols and hear preachers in the mid-December twilight. Robinson, the leader of the anti-migrant far-right movement, had publicly insisted the event was a nonpolitical celebration; maybe that had deterred some of the more ardent activists.

Crosses and flags were displayed, but there was little overt talk of Robinson’s favoured political themes. One woman did complain loudly that her grandchildren were “banned from celebrating Christmas” at school; a group of women handed out leaflets calling for communities to be “protected from illegal immigration”.

Standing beneath a “Jesus saves” sign, Gary said he was a believer but didn’t attend church. “That’s not for me, I can’t be bothered with all that,” he said. Some others attending also said they were Christians but not churchgoers.

Since Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, emerged from prison in May, bearded and wearing a wooden cross around his neck, churches have been uncertain how to respond to incipient Christian nationalism on the far right of British politics. Some church members have wanted to push back unequivocally against racism and xenophobia, saying it has no place in Christianity; others have warned that any direct response risks amplifying the far right’s message.

Robinson was “led to Christ” while in prison, according to Rikki Doolan, a minister at the Spirit Embassy church in Tottenham, north London. Three weeks before his release, Doolan - a former Ukip candidate in local elections - paid Robinson a visit. “We spoke about the gospel, and he received Jesus Christ as his personal lord and saviour, right there in the prison,” Doolan said later.