Leaders from the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities have also praised volunteers who repaired damage caused by rioters and restored their neighbourhoods.
The Archbishop of Canterbury the Most Rev. Justin Welby arriving for the service for a New Parliament at St. Margaret's Church in Westminster, London, on July 23, 2024. (Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)
Senior Christian, Jewish, and Muslim faith leaders have jointly signed a letter condemning “hatred, violence and vandalism” seen during riots across the UK.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of Westminster, the Chief Rabbi, and two of the country’s most senior Shia and Sunni Muslim imams wrote in an open letter to The Times of London on Tuesday that the targeting of mosques, attacks on asylum seekers, and violence directed towards police “are a stain on our national moral conscience.”
The faith leaders added that “every British citizen has a right to be respected and a responsibility to respect others, so that together we can build a cohesive and harmonious society for all.”
“As faith leaders, we salute the many people who have stepped forward to repair damage and restore their neighbourhoods. We pledge to work with government and all sections of society towards a constructive and compassionate dialogue on immigration and social cohesion,” they concluded.
The letter was signed by the Most Rev. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury; Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster; Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis; and from the Shia and Sunni Islam sects respectively, Chief Imam and director general of Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society, Imam Sayed Razawi, and chairman of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, Imam Qari Asim.
‘It’s Not British’
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme on Tuesday, Welby continued in his condemnation of the unrest, telling rioters that their behaviour is not representative of British values.
“It’s not British. It’s not English. They defile the flag that they wrap themselves in,” he said.
The archbishop went on to defend peaceful protest, calling it “fundamental to all our freedoms.”
“But peaceful protest will have a thousand—10 thousand—times the impact that this violence is having. This violence turns people away from your cause, whatever you’re protesting about, and it is just criminal violence,” he said.
“We need a moral vision for this country, which does exist, which is that we’re peaceful and united. We are incredibly diverse, but we stick to one another and we are capable of leading the world and sharing the common good in this country,” he added.
Rioting Enters 2nd Week
Unrest across England and Northern Ireland was sparked by a knife attack that claimed the lives of three young girls at a dance class in Southport, near Liverpool, on July 29.
Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old from Lancashire who was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents, has been charged with the murders.
Serious disorder continued to take place in the following days, including over the weekend, when on Saturday pro- and anti-immigration demonstrators clashed in cities around the country on Saturday.
On Sunday, masked rioters sprayed fire extinguishers and threw lengths of wood at officers outside of a Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham housing illegal immigrants. So far, six people have been charged in connection with riots outside the hotel.
Rioting has entered its second week, including in the port town of Plymouth, where police were injured during “sustained violence,” and in Darlington, where officers were pelted with bricks.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis speaks during the Yom Hashoah National Holocaust Remembrance Commemoration in Westminster, central London, on May 5, 2024. (Jeff Moore/PA Wire)
‘Honest’ Debate About Immigration
Parliament is currently in recess for the summer but MPs from across the political spectrum have been calling for parliamentarians to return to Westminster to discuss the unrest.
Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform Party, has said that he was appalled by the violence, saying the “levels of intimidation and threat to life have no place in a functioning democracy.”
Undated handout video grab issued by the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust of Imam Qari Asim reading a poem in a video message during a Holocaust Memorial Day Ceremony. (PA)
Farage added, however, that the country needed to have “a more honest debate” about immigration, integration, and policing to “give people the confidence that there are political solutions that are relevant to them,” and that recalling Parliament “would be an appropriate start to this.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has so far rejected the request, saying that his focus was on “making sure that we stop this disorder, that the criminal sanctions are swift and be seen to be followed.”
Victoria Friedman is a UK-based reporter covering a wide range of national stories.
