#Kumbayah, my Lord...#

In another example of the contribution that faith can make to our society, such as last Thursday, around a thousand people (as far as I could judge; I can’t find this reported anywhere) gathered along the road outside Parliament on Monday to protest against the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill. They came from the black majority churches across London, many of them were African, and their opposition to the Bill is based on their fear that they won’t be allowed to evangelise at people from other, heathen, religions and drag them over to their own saintly version. “FREEDOM TO PREACH”, said one banner, copies of which were visible throughout the crowd. “TRUTH WILL BE NO DEFENCE”, read another. Some men with megaphones were getting incoherently het up about the whole topic.

It was unclear at first glance who they were or what their protest was. I asked a policeman what it was about. “I don’t know sir, I’m a sergeant,” he replied cheerfully. “I’d ask a constable if I were you.”

So I asked a constable, who was white. “What’s their beef?” I said cheerfully. “It’s not a beef,” he replied, terribly put out. “Well, is it Christians protesting at the Religious Hatred…?” “Yes,” he answered curtly. Then he wouldn’t talk to me any more. I wonder what he thought I meant.

The crowd sang a lot, which sounded brilliant, and put the sundry other groups of protesters who have sung outside Parliament to shame—especially whoever was on the mike the day of the Countryside Alliance protests, loudly and slowly singing versions of D’ye Ken John Peel and Lord of the Dance but with new, “bitingly satirical” lyrics about Tony Blair. This was precisely 5 per cent as entertaining as it sounds (and I’m hoping it already doesn’t sound very entertaining).

“Truth will be no defence”; presumably, for example, the truth that your children aren’t actually infested with demons, and stabbing them and rubbing chilli in their eyes will not purify their spirits. That particular truth doesn’t appear to count for much in some African evangelical circles, with their weird sleazy underworld of spells and demonic entities. Tempted though I was to don a pair of red horns (and some American football gear) and march through the crowd claiming to be the Lord Azazel—because it would make great footage, as they descended on me like a pack of ravening wolves—I had to get back to work.

Eventually the singing stopped. The Bill made it unscathed through the Lords, despite the fervent prayers and major-key harmonies of the congregations. They all went home, and now the place is infested with demons again.


Incidentally, the Bill itself is flawed. For a start, “religion” is not defined, which could be problematic. (It also means that Satanism is probably accorded the same protection as Christianity, much to the horror of Christian Voice activists.)

“Hatred” is not defined either, and anyway is not in itself a criminal offence. Lawyers have argued that to criminalise incitement to something that isn’t defined makes for entirely incoherent law. Really what we’re looking at isn’t so much legislation as a manifestation of a general desire to make things nicer that someone happens to have typed up.