EGN NEWS DESK
The Archbishop of Canterbury has added his voice to pressing appeals for peace after days of rioting and violence throughout the UK.
Over 100 arrests have been made after far-right protesters clashed with police and vandalised buildings over the weekend.
Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, Stoke-on-Trent, Blackpool, Hartlepool, Sunderland and Belfast are among the many cities and cities which were affected by the riots, which had been sparked by the deaths of three women at a dance class in Southport on Monday.
Appealing for calm, Archbishop Justin Welby condemned anybody utilizing Christian symbolism or the identify of God to justify violence.
“Britain has a proud custom of free speech and peaceable protest – these should all the time be protected. But violence and hatred focused at minority communities isn’t justified and all the time abhorrent. It is totally unacceptable that Muslim and asylum-seeker communities are feeling so unsafe and I encourage individuals to achieve out and help them,” he stated on X.
The Archbishop stated he was praying particularly for the households of the victims of the Southport stabbing and stated that they “have to be allowed and supported to grieve, not prompted additional ache and misery by violence that does nothing to help their therapeutic or their pursuit of justice”.
He added, “Using Christian symbolism or the identify of God to justify violence is offensive to every thing that Christ stands for. There isn’t any justification for this and I urge any Christian doing it to repent.”
The Anglican Bishop of Liverpool, John Perumbalath, appeared alongside different native religion leaders in a video message urging calm.
“In the midst of this tragedy, as we expertise ache, grief and anger, what we’d like is for the entire group to come back collectively. We should be actually human, be there for each other,” he stated.
The Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop of Liverpool, Thomas Neylon, stated, “There are different methods of resolving points which you would possibly really feel we do not agree with in our nation so let’s use these strategies to deliver concerning the peace and the therapeutic that we’d like at this second.”
Sarah Clark, the Acting Bishop of Durham, which covers Sunderland, stated it was “actually distressing” to see such “horrible” photographs of violence in Sunderland.
“Our church communities stand along with all condemning this terrible violence and the small minority who incite hatred and intimidation on our streets – our prayers for all affected,” she stated on X.
Rev Marie-Anne Kent, of St Philip and St Paul with Wesley Church in Southport, informed the BBC Breakfast programme that church buildings within the space had been opening as a secure house for individuals.
She expressed unhappiness that “households and younger individuals who have been traumatised by the occasions of Monday, and but we have been overtaken by the violence”.
Despite this, she stated she had additionally seen “so many acts of kindness”.
“Southport has actually pulled collectively, and each act of kindness is saying we’re in opposition to this hate, these acts of violence,” she stated.
