English bishops have condemned the outbreak of mob violence against asylum seekers and refugees as well as immigrant communities.
The bishop with responsibility for refugees in the Bishops' Conference, Paul Mcaleenan, has responded to the attacks by condemning the intimidation by the rioters and praising the charities and volunteers who have supported the families and businesses that were targeted.
"Today, and always", he said, "we need to continue to pray, work and stand together for peace in our country. The actions of the few involved in violence stands in stark contrast to the work of charities, church groups and volunteers who tirelessly extend the hand of welcome to migrants in acts of solidarity.
“We hope and pray that they will re-double their efforts so that we can rebuild communities after the terrible events of the last few days.”
Bishop Tom Neylan, the auxiliary bishop for Liverpool similarly called for calm. "There are non-violent means to resolving issues that we might not agree on in our society, so let’s use those methods to bring about the peace and healing we need at this moment."<br><br>For his part, the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke for the Church of England when, in an interview, he pleaded for non-violent protests: "peaceful protest will have ten thousand times the impact of violence...we need a moral vision for this country".
Plainly the bishops and the Archbishop of Canterbury are right that Christians can never condone the targeting of minorities, especially vulnerable minorities.
The kind of rhetoric that dehumanises other people is at odds with Christ's parable of the Good Samaritan, which Jesus used to illustrate the injunction to love our neighbour; our neighbour, he said, was pre-eminently those we might feel alienated from, as Jews felt about the Samaritans.
There can be no question about the Christian response to the riots. <br><br>At the same time, it is perfectly possible to sympathise with those from white working-class communities who feel marginalised and who sense that the political class has ignored their legitimate grievances about immigration and asylum numbers.
The last government allowed immigration levels to rise to levels – net migration stood at 740,000 two years ago – that are simply unsustainable and the present government shows no sign of remedying matters.
And those who live with the consequences are not the wealthy, but those whose communities are radically changed by the influx of people from abroad.
Most immigrants and asylum seekers are law-abiding individuals, but some worrying outbreaks of violence have been associated with those from migrant backgrounds; the suspect in the brutal murder of three little girls and the maiming of others in Southport, for instance, is the teenage son of Rwandan immigrants.
To say as much is not to justify violence. Rather, an honest debate on immigration and asylum is one good way to address the grievances of those who have taken to the streets to express their frustrations in these shocking riots.
It would be heartening if people could believe the Archbishop when he says that peaceful protest is far more effective than rioting. Unfortunately, the truth may be that this alarming exhibition of lawlessness will bring home to government the extent of grassroots concerns about multiculturalism and immigration. It should directly address those concerns.
It is notable that the same thing happened in Ireland, when an attack by an Algerian suspect on a teacher and schoolchildren was followed by <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/the-battle-for-irelands-catholic-soul-will-only-continue-in-2024/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">riots in Dublin</mark></a>. The rioters felt that politicians, broadcasters and journalists were keeping the truth of what happened from them.
In cases such as these – as we saw with the Southport suspect – simple clarity and transparency can serve the public interest more than paternalistic dissimulation. The answer to fake news is real news.
As Bishop Neylan says: "There are non-violent means to resolving issues that we might not agree on in our society, so let’s use those methods to bring about the peace and healing we need at this moment.”
The police must restore order to the streets and the rioters must be punished – from all communities, so as to see off suggestions about "two-tier policing".
But then the political class and the public, including our readers, must engage in reflection on what this unrest tells us about ourselves. The bishops can help frame that discussion and debate in a good way.<br><strong><br>RELATED: <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/catholic-bishops-and-local-church-leaders-issue-joint-statement-and-prayer-after-southport-attack/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Catholic bishops and local church leaders issue joint statement and prayer after Southport attack</mark></a></strong>
<em>Photo: Crowds look on after unrest and rioting broke out outside of the Holiday Inn Express in Manvers, which is being used as an asylum hotel, in Rotherham, England, 4 August 2024. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.)</em><br>
