Individuals involved in violent riots over the past week “defile the flag that they wrap themselves in”, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said.
Far right violence has spread on Britain’s streets after the suspect accused of killing three young girls was falsely identified online as an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK via “small boat”.
Over the weekend, demonstrations took place in Rotherham, Tamworth, Bolton and Middlesbrough with clashes breaking out between far right and counter-protestors.
Speaking to the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday morning, Justin Welby condemned the “criminal violence” seen in parts of the UK, which has involved attacks on mosques, assaults on police officers, and looting of shops.
The Church of England leader also spoke of “manipulation” through social media which he said must be “strongly resisted”.
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Asked what he would say to rioters, Welby said: “This [violence] is not the United Kingdom. It’s not British. It’s not English. They defile the flag that they wrap themselves in.”
Calling on people to air concerns peacefully, he said: “Violence and swearing in the face of police from a distance of two foot is never going to convince anyone.”
He said: “Protest is good and is right and is fundamental to all our freedoms. But peaceful protest will have 1,000, 10,000 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.
“Peaceful protest, peaceful statements will convince, will change people’s mind, will — at the very least — cause them to listen.”
Asked what he thinks is behind the incidents of the past week, Welby said “there are a lot of reasons”, noting “significant deprivation” in some areas. However, he clarified that this “does not in any way justify this violence”.
He added: “We do need to re-look at how the benefits of our economy are shared right across everyone in need, and everyone in the country needs to gain from being one of the seven richest countries on Earth.
“I’m not saying that being marginalised, which a lot of people are in historic areas of high unemployment, justifies violence – quite the reverse. It does justify peaceful protest, and that will make people listen.”
Welby praised the government for “responding extremely well” through policing and clamping down through law and order, but called for “medium and long-term reflection” in the aftermath.
He added that “some of our politicians will always take an opportunity to cause trouble, but that’s very, very few and far between”.
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