Lay minister barred from officiating after ‘antisemitic’ social media posts

A Church of England lay minister has been barred from officiating after a social media post claiming Jews won’t back Jeremy Corbyn because he won’t ‘kowtow to their every wish’.

An investigation into the social media activity of Dr Robin Rowles, formerly licensed lay minister in the Diocese of St Albans, found that posts were antisemitic and “brought the Church into disrepute”.

In a since-deleted Facebook post, Dr Robin Rowles allegedly said the Jewish community will “vote out” Labour in the next general election because Jeremy Corbyn may not “kowtow to their every wish”.

The post, which was reported to the Diocese by Stephen Hoffman, appeared on the ‘Friends of Jeremy Corbyn’ group. 

It was posted in response to an article in the Independent about the motion being debated in Parliament today urging the Labour leadership to set out steps to tackle antisemitism within seven days.

“Or they’ll vote out Corbyn as leader so that they will lose the next elections, which is what the Jews want”, the post read. “The last thing the Jews apparently want is a party in power that may not kowtow to their every wish.”

In a later post on his Facebook profile, Mr Rowles allegedly suggested Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus and revealed he had been banned from the Facebook group.

The post read: “Teehee!!! I think I’ve found the root cause of the claims of anti-Semitism in the Labour Party. I’ve been banned from a left-wing, Corbyn supporting, Facebook group for being antisemitic.

“On querying the ban, I further discovered that to say that ‘the Jews arrested Jesus and arranged for him to be killed’ is being anti-Semitic.

“That’s going to ruin a few Passiontide sermons”.

In a statement, the Lord Bishop of St Albans, Dr Alan Smith, said: “The Diocese of St Albans and the Church of England have extensive, rich and highly valued contacts with leaders of Jewish communities, Jewish organisations and with bodies that promote dialogue and harmony between our two faiths.

“I regret the damage done by Dr Rowles’ actions to those relationships and we aim to restore them. There is no place for antisemitism in the Church of England.”

Dr Rowles could see his permission to officiate restored if he “engages in a process of development and education.”

But the Diocese said there will be no possibility of a review that might lead to restoration for at least 18 months.

A Board of Deputies spokesperson said: “These comments are despicable, and Mr Rowles ought to be ashamed of himself.”

Rob Thompson, senior programme manager at the Council of Christians and Jews, said: “These are shocking and unacceptable comments which peddle the age-old myth that Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus and the ancient trope of ‘Jewish power’.

“They contradict seventy five years of positive efforts since the Holocaust to build bridges between Christian and Jewish communities. The thinking behind them damages Christian and Jewish understanding of one another and their mutual flourishing in a safe and loving society.”