The gunpowder plot, four hundred plus years ago, was a violent reaction against incredible intolerance; tonight in Lewes, we have moved on less than we thought.
The reasons why many Britons will be donning their winter coats tonight to stand before a blazing inferno in their back garden or at some local school or pub have dimmed over the years.
The visceral events of November 5th 1605 are generally sketchy in most people’s minds. Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators, The Reformation, and Counter Reformation have left behind a Bonfire Night ritual that is now little more than an organising concept for selling copious amounts of fireworks.
Indeed, Fawkes and his collaborators have, if anything, won a better hearing over the centuries, with a greater understanding of the complexity of those feverish years.
But in the East Sussex town of Lewes, said to be home to the largest bonfire night in the country, there is no nuance about the events of 407 years ago. Here the religious ferment of the 16th and 17th centuries lives on, with an annual ‘celebration’ which includes burning an effigy of the Pope while a parade of burning crosses remembers 17 protestants killed during the Counter Reformation outside what is now Lewes Town Hall.
Now there is nothing wrong with positive remembrance of those who were persecuted for their faith; but the burning of an effigy of what is said to be Pope Paul V is a scandalous piece of stone-cold bigotry, especially when one of the bonfire societies in the town, Cliffe, parades under a “no popery” banner each year.
No doubt mindful of its obligations under the Equalities Act, Lewes District Council euphemistically describes the event as a “key part of community culture”.
Speaking ahead of last year’s event, Keith Austin, a former secretary of the Lewes Bonfire Council, said:
“I always tell people that Lewes is not anti-Catholic. It’s more pro-Protestant. In Bonfire there are a lot of Catholic people. It’s about history. There’s nothing sinister about it.”
Of course people in Mr Austin’s position will defend the Lewes bonfire as a largely harmless, albeit tasteless event. But what would the reaction be if that burning guy tonight was a depiction of a Muslim, Jew or gay figure?
Symbolism matters and our equalities legislation should protect minorities from discrimination and abuse. To have anti-Catholic bigotry paraded openly – whether it is dressed up as pseudo-history or not – would not be acceptable if it affected any other minority community.
Bonfire Night attracts 60,000 people to the narrow streets of Lewes, prompting organisers to warn the event is not suitable for young children.
Or Catholics it seems.
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20 Responses to “Bonfire Night bigotry is alive and well in Lewes”
Patrick
Being a Catholic is not the same as being black
Religious belief is choice. Race is not.
If someone wants to lampoon or criticise or attack a belief system then that is completely acceptable.
We should be able to critique and attack all belief systems freely: and that includes Islam and yes, Catholicism. I am not a religious believer. If someone went out and burned an effigy of Charles Darwin it wouldn’t bother me in the slightest. It is part of intellectual freedom. No one should be exempt from that.
Thornavis
Right so you’ve no problem with celebrating the brutal execution of a catholic who was probably set up by the state ? OK if you say so, however it might be an idea if you knew a bit about the origins of the Sussex bonfire societies, they commemorate the murder by Mary Tudor of Protestants in the sixteenth century, where’s the anti catholic bigotry in that ? Unless you’re suggesting it’s bad form to have knowledge of an act of persecution by the Catholic church and its state allies. Nowadays the whole thing is just a carnival, there’s pirates, Vikings and general dressing up, letting off fireworks and having a thoroughly good time, the burning of the Papal effigy is the one remaining piece of religious symbolism and it’s just that, symbolism to keep a historical tradition alive. Utterly harmless and fake outrage and demands for bans are the real bigotry here.
Martin
Reading the comments on this article is a disturbingly disheartening experience.
“Come on LFF there are much more serious examples of bigotry & prejudioce for you to
write articles about”
Indeed, let’s just sweep the anti-Catholic bigotry under the carpet because it’s not fashionable
and move onto a more fashionable form of bigotry against which we can protest,
in just the way that “The Industrial Revolution and
its consequences” says that leftists do!
I shall forgo the opportunity to quote Martin Niemöller but hopefully some of those who browse
this website will get my point.
“Bonfire Societies of East Sussex and Lewes in particular have a long and fascinating history”
And? Not giving the vote to ordinary working people had a long history, should it have been
retained on that basis?
“Religious belief is choice. Race is not.”
Indeed, tell that the people of Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia or Iran. In any
event, the law doesn’t make a distinction.
“You’re mistaking criticism ofthe Pope (a vile figure) with an attack on Catholics.”
OK, so you’re saying that if someone I burnt an effigy of the Chief Rabbi or a senior Imam that
wouldn’t be OK either? Thought not.
“[the] Sussex bonfire societies, they commemorate the murder by Mary Tudor of Protestants in the sixteenth century…. the burning of the Papal effigy is the one remaining piece
of religious symbolism and it’s just that, symbolism to keep a historical tradition alive”
So on the basis that it commemorates a historical event and is just about symbolism it should be
allowed?
The rest of the country can happily get along with a bonfire and some fireworks
but to commemorate something that happened 400 years ago an effigy of the Pope
should still be burned?
Interesting, I never thought I’d see the day when a comment on a supposedly left leaning web site would provide the perfect rationale to throw the Northern Ireland peace process
back thirty years – I bet the Orange Order will be delighted!
Thornavis.
What a collection of illogical arguments, you could have summed them all up quite simply by saying – I don’t like this it should be banned. Let me just deal with your attempts at dismissing my points. Comparing this to Northern Ireland is exactly where you’re going wrong, unlike there the Sussex history of sectarianism is dead, no one wants to persecute catholics here anymore but we would like to keep our local unique bonfire celebrations ( which are not fixed on November 5 ) which have survived and evolved. Now it’s just entertainment but there is a small part which still echoes the old conflicts, that’s actually a good thing, it helps to make people aware that such things once happened but perhaps you’d prefer this to be airbrushed out of history in case someone has their little feelings all hurt.
To deal briefly with your irrelevant mention of Rabbis and Imams. What you seem to be suggesting is that it’s OK to celebrate the Protestant Martyrs as long as the cause of their martydom isn’t mentioned ? Just the kind of empty gesture I’d expect from a professional offence taker.
Newsbot9
Ah yes, the good old right to burn things. Including mockups of people.
Where is this, precisely? Link me to the statute!