A Christian venue in Westminster has been criticised after hosting a political conference by a party some describe as "far-right".
A crowd gathered outside the Emmanuel Centre on Saturday, to protest against it being used for the policy launch event for Advance UK.
Christians for a Welcoming Britain (CFAWB) claim Advance UK had used the event to announce a policy of suspending all asylum claims, which would result in nobody being allowed to apply for asylum in the UK. It said the party also propose banning public Muslim calls to prayer and the right to wear a niqab.
Symon Hill, a Christian author and university chaplain was one of several Christians who contacted the centre multiple times ahead of the event to question the decision to host the event. He said: "The far-right in the UK are more visible than they have ever been in my lifetime. Racist rhetoric has become mainstream, refugees are attacked instead of welcomed, Muslims and Jews are demonised, marginalised groups such as trans people and disabled people are viciously scapegoated. The only minority who the far-right don't attack are the rich and powerful, as refugees and migrants are blamed for problems caused by unjust structures of wealth and power.
"As a university chaplain, I am constantly inspired by students challenging racism and bigotry in their everyday lives. Christians should be at the forefront of the struggle to uphold human dignity by challenging the far-right…
"The use of churches by far-right parties must never become normalised."
Holly-Anna Petersen from CFAWB said it’s important to keep the situation in perspective: "We are often hearing in the news about the far-right, and those in the church who are getting swept up in this. But we need to remember that the overarching picture is still one of the UK church doing beautiful work of welcome - caring for those in our neighbourhoods regardless of background or nationality. It may not be dramatic or feel news worthy. But it's the daily grind of love in practice that is so precious about the church."
Premier Christian News has contacted the Emmanuel Centre for a response.