‘Church aided the pile-on’ of curate’s Captain Tom tweet

Feb 8, 2021 by Jill

by Harriet Sherwood, Guardian:

Senior clergy call on church to act after Jarel Robinson-Brown subjected to racist abuse and death threats.

A prominent clergyman has accused the Church of England of aiding a backlash against a trainee priest who tweeted there was a “cult of white British nationalism” surrounding Captain Sir Tom Moore, who died last week.

Andrew Foreshew-Cain, chaplain of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, told the Observer: “What Jarel [Robinson-Brown] tweeted was actually very respectful of Captain Tom, but he raised questions about some of those lionising him. There has been a pile-on in response, and the church has aided that.”

More than 120 clergy have rallied to Robinson-Brown’s defence after he received death threats and abuse. An open letter to Sarah Mullally, the bishop of London, after the diocese ordered an investigation into the trainee priest’s conduct, calls for a “strong and public condemnation of the racist, homophobic and abusive way he has been treated”, and says the row raises concerns about freedom of speech.

Robinson-Brown wrote: “The cult of Captain Tom is a cult of White British Nationalism. I will offer prayers for the repose of his kind and generous soul, but I will not be joining the ‘National Clap’.”

He swiftly deleted his comment, and offered “an unreserved apology for the insensitive timing and content of my tweet regarding the clap for Captain Tom”. He later deleted his Twitter account.

The tweet drew a furious response on social media and in other forums, including the Millwall football club fans’ chat room. By 5pm on Friday, almost 18,000 people had signed an online petition calling on the church to “remove him from his post, on the basis he is a divisive and damaging figure that has insulted the memory of a national treasure and true hero of this country”.

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Read also: Have some guts, Welby, and stand by your man — at least he believes in something by Rod Liddle, The Times (£)

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