We speak as leaders and representatives of the many faith traditions in Derby and Derbyshire to those from our own faith, to each others’ faith traditions and to the people of our city and county.

As the local government elections approach on May 3rd we are all invited to consider the needs of our society and who will get our vote. The challenges facing the District, County and City councils are significant and we should firstly ensure that all those standing for election receive our thoughts and prayers.

Our different faiths charge us with the pursuit of the common good of all people, but especially those who are in particular need and who find themselves marginalised and disadvantaged in our society. We cannot stand by when certain sections of our community, as groups and individuals, are maligned, misrepresented and singled out for verbal or even physical abuse.

There are present in our democracy groups who wish to prejudice people against others on the basis of their country of origin, race or religion. This becomes part of their political manifesto, and it is offered to the electorate for endorsement.

We wish to express in the strongest terms our distaste for any political platform which has the effect of destabilising communities through the use of misinformation, scare stories or inflammatory rhetoric. Such statements should be resisted and not rewarded, be it via the ballot box, silent assent or public endorsement.

We believe the presence in our communities of people from different ethnic, cultural and religious origins are a strength of our society. There are however many complex issues to do with immigration, employment and social cohesion that must be addressed in an informed and balanced way according to the highest standards of civilised society and mutual respect. The extent to which prejudicial platforms attract popular support must be a warning to all people of good will that standards of decency and fair-dealing in our society require to be actively promoted, and may not ever be taken for granted.

Signed:

• The Rt. Revd. Alastair Redfern, Bishop of Derby
• The Rt. Revd. Malcolm McMahon, Bishop of Nottingham
• The Revd Canon J W Wesley Blakey, Chairman, The Methodist Church, Nottingham and Derby District
• The Revd. Terry Oakley, Moderator of E. Midlands Synod of the United Reformed Church
• The Revd. Steve Mantle, Regional Minister, East Midlands Baptist Association
• Major Jonathan Roberts, Divisional Commander, East Midlands Division of the Salvation Army
• Mr Michael Hockaday, Congregational Federation representative
• The Revd Stephen Greasley, Derby Multi-faith Forum
  

ENDS