OUR UNITED CITY WON'T SUBMIT TO PROVOCATION

This is the Bishop of Leicester's First Person column in today's Leicester Mercury:

Our united city won't submit to provocation

The Bishop of Leicester considers the city's response to the English Defence League's visit

There will be many in our city who dread the prospect of another visit by the English Defence League (EDL) on February 4. It is less than two years since the last visit and already community leaders, the police, the city council and many others are having to give detailed time and attention to ensuring the safety of the city and of its citizens.

I have no doubt that once again we shall rise to this challenge. We can use it as an opportunity to demonstrate that we will not be provoked into aggressive responses. And we will not allow this kind of agitation to create divisions and tensions between the communities of our city.

On the last occasion that the EDL came to town, it provoked a celebration of the common values which we hold and enabled the whole city to demonstrate the carefully developed and trusting relationships between community leaders which have been a feature of Leicester life for many years.

Before the last visit of the EDL, the Cathedral became a gathering place for people of different faiths to stand in silent reflection together, demonstrating vividly how precious the rich religious diversity of our city has been.

So how should we prepare for a repeat of this unwelcome visit?

First I believe we have every reason to have confidence in the authorities, especially the police, who take meticulous care to prepare for these occasions and who put a great deal of effort into ensuring that communication is effective and as widespread as possible.

Second, I expect that faith leaders and other community leaders will be working together once again to reassure people and to demonstrate that the values we hold in common go deeper than any divisions between us.

I have no doubt that the Cathedral will once again offer hospitality for the kind of silent vigil we saw last time.

Thirdly, I would expect that the people of the city will demonstrate the kind of dignified restraint that was shown last time.

What demonstrators and marchers most want is to provoke a reaction. But easily the most eloquent response is a dignified silence in the face of provocation.

Those who would undermine our common life here know that Leicester has a reputation for good community relations and this provides us with another opportunity to demonstrate that that reputation is well founded.

I hope, therefore, that this will turn out to be a good news story and that this newspaper will report it as such.

In the end these kind of occasions can reveal our better natures. It can shine a spotlight on that part of our character which builds reconciliation and friendship across divisions. We are good at that in Leicester and let us show it to the world once again.