I know firsthand what living in a divided community looks like.

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Growing up in the Troubles, our nearest village was bombed. I knew people who were killed. It’s an experience I’ll never forget and why the rise of fascism which attempts to divide us concerns me so much.

As a Christian, I believe we are all raised in the image of God. As a vicar, I preach Christian messages of love, unity and togetherness. But right now I’ve seen far right parties like Reform and UKIP sowing seeds of division, appropriating religion to whip up fear and hatred against different communities online.

I now live in Tower Hamlets, where my neighbours and Borough have long been targeted by the far right and in my lifetime there has been a long history of people coming into our area to threaten violence, stage protests or present a particularly hostile view of the community. Although the identity of their targets might have changed, their goal to keep us divided has remained the same.

The insidious rise of hateful rhetoric and facism must be addressed head-on not just by us, but by the politicians we elected into this Government. Social media giants have enabled and platformed messages of hatred which attempt to distract us from the fact that parties like Reform and UKIP are the ones who will make our lives harder because they take their donations gladly and ensure the status quo will continue

The far right has tried to co-opt Christianity to spout hatred against others. But in my church and in my Tower Hamlets community, they haven’t succeeded. We have a strong and united interfaith forum of Christians, Jewish people, Muslims, Hindus and people of no faiths, and we address the real issues like poverty and housing insecurity in our area. We recognise that we have more in common with each other than with those who are trying to divide us through hatred.

The sad truth is that when there are forces trying to sow disunity and using religion as a wedge, we open up divisions in communities that last decades.

Whether it’s in Ireland, Gaza, Iran, or in my own borough of Tower Hamlets, it’s never been more urgent that we come together to tell the far right that they cannot, and will not, let their hatred infect our community. That’s why my church is proud to stand in solidarity beside other groups on March 28 who are marching for unity.

Mother Bernadette is an Anglican Vicar in Tower Hamlets who is attending the Together March to Stop the Far Right on Saturday.

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