By our Cotswolds correspondent

On the cold, dark early evening of January 11th, the Cotswold village of Whiteshill was brought to life with a colourful demonstration of shared values.  Illuminated placards glowed in the night declaring the village a tolerant, refugee-welcoming and anti-racist community.

On one level, the occasion was a sad one for the village, as our only pub had decided to host Katie Hopkins’ touring ‘comedy show’  for a second time, despite a previous protest and condemnation from villagers in the local press.  On another level, it was joyous, as Hopkins’ appearance prompted dozens of residents to form ‘Whiteshill and Ruscombe Community Solidarity’, to ensure the villages’ positive values are platformed in, and projected beyond, our villages .

The local C of E Church, St Paul’s, gave full support, including providing space for a banner-making workshop and  hot drinks for protesters on the night,  Our Vicar, Simon Howell, rallied The Parishes of Stroud – our nearest town – to release an extraordinarily powerful joint statement against hate speech.

“We, the core leadership of the Stroud Parish Churches, stand united against hate speech and divisive rhetoric,” the statement says. “Any event that is in danger of promoting hateful ideologies goes against the principles that define the community of which we are a part. We wholeheartedly counter views that do not align with the inclusivity, tolerance, and respect that we hold dear.”

The full statement can be read here.

We hope Hopkins and her supporters realise her activities are spurring communities to find common ground, to oppose hate speech and promote tolerance.  Some of my neighbours, many in their fifties, have never attended a protest before.  They were proud to do so.  Our Community Solidary group is already looking to bring our villages together to celebrate and promote positive values and inclusivity in further events and activities.

Image: c/o author.