Public Statement on behalf of the Preston Faith Covenant

02 November 2020

The below statement has been issued on behalf of the Preston Faith Covenant:

"It is with great sadness that we have heard of the attacks in Nice, France and at the French Embassy in Jeddah yesterday, and the tragic situation just weeks before with the brutal murder of Samuel Paty. Our hearts break for the family and friends of all the victims, and we continue to pray for them, and all others affected by these terrible attacks.

Together we stand against, and condemn, all acts of hatred, of violence and of terrorism. The richness of our society is built on the foundation of our diversity and this is undermined when we allow the actions of a small number of individuals to divide us, blaming or mistreating whole communities, religions or cultures for the behaviour of a few.

We should not allow hateful discourse, public humiliation of a particular faith or other inflammatory demonstrations, such as the recent display of the highly offensive cartoons in France, to be excused and unchallenged under the banner of freedom of speech. Instead, we must continue to engage in open, positive and mutually-beneficial dialogue to resolve our disagreements in order to live well together.  

We pray for peace and for justice for all, and with heavy hearts we urge our communities to stand united against such acts."