Since his release from prison earlier this year, where he claims to have embraced Christianity, Robinson has increasingly woven Christian imagery into his messaging.
Tommy Robinson is holding a “United for Christ this Christmas” event today (December 13), featuring Bible readings, live music, and personal testimonies, according to details posted on X.
Since his release from prison earlier this year, where he claims to have embraced Christianity, Robinson has increasingly woven Christian imagery into his messaging. Wooden crosses were a prominent feature at the first Unite the Kingdom rally in September.
In response, senior Church of England figures are urging Christians to resist attempts to appropriate the faith for political purposes. Right Reverend Arun Arora, Bishop of Kirkstall and the Church of England’s co-lead on racial justice, warned that the Church must “resist the capture of Christian language and symbols by populist forces seeking to exploit the faith for their own political ends.”
Speaking specifically about Robinson’s efforts to “reclaim” Christmas, Bishop Arora said: “I rejoice that Stephen Yaxley-Lennon has recently come to faith in prison. Having experienced the wide mercy of God’s grace, Stephen does not now have the right to deny it to others.
He continued: “We must confront and resist the capture of Christian language and symbols by populist forces seeking to exploit the faith for their own political ends. It is incumbent upon the church – in the recent words of Rowan Williams – ‘to challenge the story that every migrant approaching our shores is an unfriendly alien with unintelligible and hostile values’.”
He warned that if the Church fails to act, its risks becoming “a people who offer religious observance as an alternative to an active pursuit of justice and righteousness.”
As Christmas approaches, he said, we should remember the “Holy Family’s own flight as refugees, we reaffirm our commitment to stand alongside others in working for an asylum system that is fair, compassionate, and rooted in the dignity of being human – when Christ took on flesh – which is at the heart of the Christmas message.”
His comments come ahead of a Church of England poster campaign aimed at countering the politicisation of Christianity by the far right. Local churches have been encouraged to download and display resources designed to respond to nationalist rhetoric. Posters now appearing at bus stops proclaim, “Christ has always been in Christmas” and “Outsiders welcome.”
A coalition of denominations, including the Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church and the Baptist Union of Great Britain, has launched a Joint Public Issues Team to provide a “rapid response” toolkit for churches. Congregations are being encouraged to engage particularly on Sunday December 14, the day after Robinson’s Whitehall event.
Robinson’s “United for Christ” gathering follows his large “free speech” rally in the summer, which drew more than 100,000 people in London and featured an appearance by Elon Musk, who condemned what he called the “woke mind virus.”
Image credit: United for Christ this Christmas Facebook post
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