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OPINIONS: Reverend Ade Omooba blames 'disunity' in churches for civil unrest

A LEADING church minister has stated that a united black Church could have stopped the riots.

Writing in the latest edition of Keep The Faith, the UK’s leading magazine about the black Christian community, Reverend Ade Omooba, co-founder of Christian Concern for the Nation, stated: ‘I believe one of the primary causes of the recent UK riots was the disunity in the Church, which has hampered our efforts to transform society.’

He added, ‘The kind of criminality that was on display during the riots is a result of deep, neglected and underlying problems within our communities that have not been addressed by the Church, which could have been far more proactive in addressing social issues, rather than reacting after the event.’

Reverend Omooba’s comment was said prior to the release of new information about rioters that were charged.

Government figures claim that 46 percent of those arrested were black, 42 percent were white, seven percent were Asian, and five percent classified as other.
Ninety percent of people brought before the courts were male, and nearly half were aged 21 or under. Of the young people involved 42 percent were receiving free school meals.

Data also highlighted two-thirds of the young people in court had some form of special educational need, compared to the national average of 21 percent.

Reverend Omooba believes that in the aftermath of the riots churches must work together ‘with a common goal to help transform our nation.’