The UK government has written an open letter to Sri Lankans in Britain to say it stands with the community in the wake of the Easter Sunday attacks which took place on 3 April killing at least 250 and injuring hundreds more.

In the letter, James Brokenshire MP, Secretary for Housing Communities and Local Government, referred to the New Zealand atrocity against Muslims and said the attacks ‘completely failed to achieve the divisions sought’.

People of all faiths have stood in solidarity with Christian communities to mourn the loss. On 27 April, a multi-faith prayer vigil was held in London followed by a peace walk from Westminster to the West London Mission before arriving at the Sri Lanka High Commission.

Mr Brokenshire wrote: ‘In traumatic moments such as this it is more vital than ever that that we collectively recommit to remaining united as a society and resolute as an international community, in the face of attempts to tear us apart.’

The MP added that the UK government was committed to tackling anti-Christian hatred around the world.

In an article with the Independent.ie, David Turner, Director of Irish charity, Church in Chains, which supports persecuted Christians around the world, said the attacks fit a pattern of Christian persecution that rarely makes headlines, which he said was a ‘weekly, if not daily, lived experience for more than 200 million Christians worldwide.’

The Revd John Proctor, General Secretary of the United Reformed Church, dedicated a prayer to the victims and those affected by the Sri Lanka attacks.

Read Mr Brokenshire’s letter in full here.

Pictures: (Top) A still from a BBC news report showing a young victim and an injured woman hurt in the Sri Lanka Attacks/BBC News.
(Bottom) A guard protecting a Sri Lankan church/BBC News. 
Published: 29 April 2019