Why is this pastor standing up for Tommy Robinson?

The recent mixture of worship songs with anti-immigrant rhetoric at a pro-Tommy Robinson rally suggests a worrying alliance is developing between far-right politics and some faith leaders. Christians must be careful not to lend legitimacy to divisive and dangerous ideologies, says Evan L John

Before singing ‘This Train is Bound for Glory’ at the ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally, Pastor Rikki Doolan thanked God for the life of a man who, at that moment, was in a police cell.

The rally in question was not a church service nor an evangelistic event. It was a political protest in central London in support of the notorious founder of the English Defence League, Tommy Robinson.

When I first heard of a preacher with links to Britain’s most prominent far-right figure, I imagined a skinhead with swastika tattoos ranting angrily to a small congregation of neo-Nazis.