This afternoon, The Bishop of London, The Right Reverend and Right Honourable Sarah Mullally DBE, joined with other faith and community leaders, including the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, at the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre to show solidarity with those families and communities affected by the attack, both in New Zealand and London.
Speaking after addressing members of the local Muslim community, she said:
“an attack against faith anywhere is an attack on faith everywhere. In London we are lucky to have a diverse multi-cultural community but we shouldn’t be complacent. Our diversity is our strength but we also need to recognise there’s a difference.”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:
“We stand here together today in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in New Zealand. Our diversity is a strength. We maybe more than 11,000 miles away from Christchurch but we feel the ripples of hatred. We feel the ripples of fear and we feel the ripples of sorrow for our brothers and sisters in Christchurch.”
“We want to be a beacon to the rest of the world to show that whether you are a Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, whether you are a member of an organised faith, or not, here in London you are welcome. London is open.”
The East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre said its thoughts and prayers were with the victims, and urged its community to “be more vigilant than ever”.