A vicar has called for opposition to British National Party plans to hold its annual festival in Derbyshire for the next two years.
The BNP held Red, White and Blue, near Denby, in July, and wants to hold it there again next year and in 2009. But the Rev Ken Horleston, vicar for St Clement's Church in Horsley, said he believed the festival was bad for Amber Valley. He said he felt guilty for not doing more to stop this year's event and had the backing of the area's other vicars in saying Christians should not support the party.
Mr Horleston, 57, said: "As far as my guilt is concerned, I did nothing to try and stop the Denby event taking place but now wish to make my opposition clear. If Red, White and Blue becomes an annual event I would like to think that not only I but others from the local area would let our voices of objection be heard."
He said the BNP's views on race and immigration went against the view, which was central to Christianity, that people should love one another. The party stands for, among other things, an immediate end to immigration to the UK and the repatriation of Britain's non-whites to their countries of origin.
Mr Horleston said: "The bible calls on people to 'love thy neighbour' but the BNP's views are in violation of this. A person cannot be a practising Christian and vote for the BNP."
The Rev Karen Padley, of All Saints' Church, Marlpool, agreed with Mr Horleston and said she raised objections to Amber Valley Borough Council about this year's festival. She said: "I don't want to see Red, White and Blue held in Derbyshire. I raised objections with the borough council about this year's event because I felt it would be harmful to community spirit. Ethnic minorities in Amber Valley suffer from racism and events like Red, White and Blue only make it worse."
The national press officer for the BNP, Dr Phil Edwards, said vicars should not get involved in politics but Mr Padley maintained it was not unusual for them to do so.
Ms Padley, 39, said: "Throughout history, Christians have been involved in politics when they felt it was right to be so. We were involved in the abolition of the slave trade and, recently, supported the Debt Aid campaign."
Dr Edwards also accused the vicars of contradicting their own beliefs. He said: "The vicars have lost their way. The Bible says that God scattered the nations throughout the world in their own regions. By suggesting multi-racial societies they are going against God's will."
He said that opposition from the church would not stop the BNP holding Red, White and Blue near Denby next year.
Derbyshire Evening Telegraph
And so he bloody well should feel guilty, it's too late now, the event seems to have gone off without too many problems and in my experience ( Im from a licensing background)they have set a precedent and getting a license for next year will be easier.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't mind having a good look around the site it is held on. The real people to get on to to stop this from happening next year are the Fire people, they can stop anything from happening for even the slightest breech of fire regulations.
Yeah, set fire to the place!
ReplyDeleteIs that you are saying?
Napalm would be quite effective !
ReplyDeleteThats not what I'm saying and i wouldn't come down to the level that the BNP fuckwits work on. It has to be done on a legal basis to stop it and in my experience the fire people are the most easy to piss off and get an event turned down. As its on private ground there are a few things they can get around.
ReplyDeleteThe festival season has finished and I'll get a couple of people I know to look into it more deeply. There is going to be a loop hole that can be taken advantage of nearer the time as well as public pressure but as I said in my first post, they have set a precedent with a festival that attracted little trouble, of course the the ploice would take on board the threats of violence to the next festival if there was a much bigger campainge against it and some proper demos against it.
Er, could I suggest two possible approaches to dear old RWB (does it stand for Racists, W***ers and Bullsh***ers by the way?)
ReplyDeletePLAN A
Mount demonstrations, make a huge fuss, get it splashed all over the press, feed the BNP's "martyr syndrome" (we are just a poor legal political party being bullied by the forces of the state etc etc), and it probably goes ahead anyway . . .
PLAN B
Ignore it - a few hundred loonies meet in a field. They get wet and - with a bit of luck - end up punching each other !
Mmmm, personally I can see the merit of Plan B !