Sanctimonious Hypocrites

by New Worker correspondent

 The Society of Friends (Quakers) recently banned the Korean Friendship Association from using their Manchester meeting room. The room had been booked by a Manchester KFA representative but suddenly he got an email stating that: “I have referred your request to the committee of local Quakers and unfortunately we are not able to accept your booking. We understand that the DPRK does not fully support freedom of religion and as a Quaker venue we feel that we would not be living our own values if we were to allow the booking to go ahead”.

            Prior to this KFA comrades in Glasgow who tried to book a room in the Friends Meeting House were at first told that the booking was okay but then a few days later received an email saying that the meeting room was unavailable to KFA  and not giving a reason. Those two cases clearly demonstrate that the Manchester “local committee” was acting under instruction from higher powers.

  Chair of the UK Korean Friendship Association Dermot Hudson said “this is a deeply undemocratic move, denying KFA of the right to free speech, the right to association and the right to organise. Since when have Quaker values included discriminating against those with different beliefs to themselves? The Quakers have been shown up to another bunch of sanctimonious hypocrites”.

            The Quakers seem to be unaware of the fact that a Russian Orthodox Cathedral was consecrated in Pyongyang in 2006 to add to the roster of a Roman Catholic Cathedral and three Protestant churches in the capital. Ironically it was the heavy bombing by the United States Airforce which did much to undo the longstanding missionary work of earlier generations of Americans.