Archbishop of Canterbury calls for peace amidst UK riots

By Francesco Bartolini

In the wake of recent events in Britain, which has also seen some of its worst levels of antisemitism in the first half of any year, UK faith leaders continue to condemn violent anti-Muslim riots across the country.

They have united against the hatred and brutality, saying that every British citizen “has a right to be respected and a responsibility to respect others”.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said he joins them in prayer, spreading hope for peace to all the communities affected, for those left injured, the police seeking to restore public order, and for places of worship and people of faith and goodwill.

“Violent protest turns people away from the cause,” Archbishop Welby affirmed in an interview with BBC Radio 4, emphasizing that “peaceful protests will have ten thousand times more impact” than criminally violent riots regardless of the cause.

The message follows concerns for safety in several UK regions that continue to rise as more people riot and take to the streets of London, Birmingham, Yorkshire and Merseyside, all seeing mass violence and of arrests.

“It doesn’t feel like home,” according to a young student of Yemeni heritage, who was born and raised in Liverpool, as he represents the sentiment of many British citizens of Muslim descent.

Archbishop Welby, along with other Presidents of Churches Together England (CTE), also expressed gratitude for CTE in the Merseyside Region in particular, following their quick response to the Southport attacks early last week.

The official agency of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales for domestic social action (CSAN) recently expressed their solidarity, saying the Church seeks to bring hope and agency to the marginalised communities which have fallen victim to the violent outbreaks.