"After about 150,000 people turned up for the last rally called by Tommy Robinson in September, the leader of the anti-migrant far-right movement, he wanted to be sure of a prime position. He needn't have worried. About 1,500 people perhaps 1% of September's turnout came to Whitehall to sing carols and hear preachers in the twilight of a mid-December day."
"Since Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, emerged from prison last 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."
A Unite the Kingdom outdoor carol service in Whitehall drew about 1,500 people, far smaller than a previous rally of roughly 150,000. The event mixed religious imagery and some political leaflets, although organisers framed it as a non-political Christmas celebration. Several attendees identified as Christians but said they did not attend church. Robinson's conversion in prison and visible Christian symbols have left churches uncertain how to respond to a growing strand of Christian nationalism. Some church members call for an unequivocal rejection of racism and xenophobia, while others fear that confrontation could amplify far-right messages.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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