Climate protesters disrupt Choral Evensong
NewsWe hear that Live Choral Evensong on the BBC was disrupted tonight by climate protesters at 16.40.
The broadcast, from Chichester Cathedral, was faded out by producers after a minute or two and resumed once order had been restored at 16.45.
Seems not even God is safe from single-issue shouters.
It was live from Chichester Cathedral to mark 400 years since their organist Thomas Weelkes died.
The protesters took to the microphones during this ‘live’ broadcast singing some out of tune plainchant, then a woman ranted on about the poor attitude of the CofE in Chichester.
The Cathedral handled the intrusion well, but the BBC radio team badly, suddenly fading from the broadcast and not having anything suitable to choral evensong repertoire at hand threw on Prokofiev’s noisy Romeo & Juliet score which was as intrusive and angry as the protesters!
Typical Beeb to be unprepared for a sudden break in transmission and not be sensitive to the listeners of Weelkes to link it with Prokofiev!
That’s all future live broadcasts on red alert from now on in case of another protest.
Did they play Prokofiev’s Dance of the Knights? That would have been appropriate for the angry protesters and the state of the world.
Cinderella surely? Rather nice I thought. Why typical of Beeb?
I remember once many years ago a broadcast of Evensong was disrupted by a technical fault, and within a few seconds they had faded in to a standby recording picking up at almost exactly the same point in the service.
From then on I imagined that the studio always had an evensong tape running in tandem with the live broadcast, but clearly they’ve either abandoned the practice, or it wasn’t working this time.
I also remember that the announcer was the splendidly named, and splendidly voiced, Douglas Reith.
Probably another attempt at diversity
Quite a turnaround for Thomas Weelkes that Chichester Cathedral should be celebrating his 400th anniversary, given his spectacular fall from grace with his employer towards the end of his life (he was dismissed from his post as Organist by the Chichester Cathedral authorities for being ‘a notorious drunkard and blasphemer’). It would seem he was an outrageous personality in other ways too, certainly not befitting a cathedral organist of the time (his marriage to Elizabeth Sandham in 1603 was clearly a shotgun wedding, given their first child Thomas was baptized less than 6 months later), so perhaps Mr. Weelkes looking down from above on the commemoration of his anniversary might be somewhat less appalled than the rest of us by the disruptive protest during the service, with his own apparently ‘larger than life’ personality.
I believe it was Chichester Cathedral in fact
I thought it was from Chichester
The service was broadcast from Chichester, not Oxford.
‘Single-issues shouters’? Not so.
The intervention was realised by Christian Climate Action, some participants being clergy. There was no shouting. A woman spoke, clearly and confidently, lambasting the diocese for its investment in fossil fuels.
Press release: https://christianclimateaction.org/2023/11/29/christians-interrupt-chichester-cathedral-bbc-broadcast-service-in-protest-of-fossil-fuel-investments/
I think the term is ‘single-brain cell useful idiots’.
They weren’t shouting? So that makes it ok then?
Whatever the justice or otherwise of their cause, I trust the participants are jailed for the disruption caused to the religious observances of others by their deeply unchristian, selfish and positively childish behaviour. The choristers, particularly the children, musicians, participating clergy, congregation and listening public would have been, and were, bewildered and disturbed. If clergy were involved in the protest they should be deeply ashamed of themselves for disrupting an act of worship.
Yet another issue group (cf. Just Stop Oil) makes their protest against an exemplar of western culture, this time willingly offending western religious people. (No chance they would take on houses of more eastern religions, not that they are renowned for producing, let alone recording, great music).
I get very fed up with people who pussyfoot around other religions feeling that Christianity, which preaches love thy neighbour as thyself, is a legitimate target for abuse.
I would, personally, think that a religion that preaches an ethic of responsibility and care for others should abide by that ethic. But hey, Christianity is a broad tent – it’s even got a climate movement!
Besides, the Pope was going to be at COP this week (canceled for illness). Same god, same ethic, different branch. The calls are coming from inside the church…
Virtue-signalling cowards, one and all.
The protesters were themselves a Christian group, including some clergy. And it was a specific protest against a recent decision of the diocese in whose cathedral they were protesting. I’m sure a similar Islamic or Jewish group would have done the same if the Mosque or Synagogue had recently decided that oil investments were OK.
No offence was caused – it was the most well-behaved and Anglican intervention ever, carefully timed for a point in the service when there was no music planned.
“I’m sure a similar Islamic or Jewish group would have done the same….
No offence was caused…”
It’s a bit silly to be sure of things you can’t possibly be sure of and that includes making statements on behalf of everyone else. I found it offensive.
attended Cathedral services from early childhood & now 76. unable to get to a church where others apart from myself sing are prepared to sing, am a musician etc.., so devastated when this service was interupted & the feeble disappearance of the BBC recording. it had been a good service. there a so many ways to protest/ complain about anything, though it does take much energy. did they stand with placards in the West door as people entered before the service: have they made their protest public in the newspapers: did they have any discussion before the service with senior clergymen: did they arrange an open meeting with anyone concerned for a reasonable debate? apalled they disrupted such meaningful, though age-old, chants, lessons & prayers reflecting 100’s of yrs of hard work, sacrifice & goodwill with which many are comforted & inspired to face another day often ill and isolated & in despair
Middle class twerps – oh how wonderful aren’t we clever? NO. You never achieve anything by being negative.
Sounds as if this evening’s protesters were much better behaved than Thomas Wellkes the Chichester Organist Choirmaster whose 400th anniversary the Choral Evensong was celebrating. Weelkes was ‘fined for urinating on the Dean from the organ loft during Evensong’. He was also ‘famed for being a common drunkard and notorious blasphemer’. The Dean and Chapter dismissed him for using bad language and being drunk during divine service and although he was later reinstated he repeated the offence.
Christian Climate Activists making dignified and reasoned objections to Chichester Diocesan Synod’s very recent and perverse decision to stay invested in zombie industries destroying God’s ‘good’ creation was a refreshing breath of fresh air compared to Weelkes’ scandalous interjections to divine office.
Your description of Weelkes is very enlightening, but I’m sure he must have had a negative side too.
Imagine if it had been Pussy Riot.
“Seems not even God is safe from single-issue shouters.”
True.
On the other hand, I can’t count the number of times I’ve been harangued in various public places by “single issue GOD shouters” warning me of the perils of Hell if I don’t accept the only true religion–which, of course, means theirs.
Vague (and possibly incorrect) memories of a Reginald Perrin gag.
CJ says “I agree with what you say, but I don’t support your right to say it.”
Reggie suggests that he’s got it the wrong way round. CJ says it makes much more sense his way.
I’m very much in favour of climate control and have not the least interest in Evensong, but such a protest strikes me as counterproductive.
I was enjoying my weekly fix of Choral Evensong on Radio 3 from Chichester Cathedral when the climate fanatic started her rant.
These people used to stand on street corners with a sandwich board.
It is ironic that the BBC, which has been promoting climate catastrophism for over 20 years and silencing those with a different viewpoint, are now being affected by the very people they have been empowering.
Well in my experience choral evensong will be celebrated by considerably more clergy than congregation most of the time. Add in the fact that quite a few will be like me and instantly switch off the otherwise excellent BBC R3 when it’s on and you have a reasonably futile gesture.
If they had wanted to make an impression how about disrupting Chichester ring road or something? At least more than a handful would have noticed.
The climate muppets should be offered land to settle in and found a new society where they thrive. Maybe Greenland would be a good place – if they are right in their weather förecast, it should soon be very nice to live there all year round.
These people are middle class morons with nothing better to do than disrupt other people’s enjoyment. I agree with another comment and thought the Cathedral – it was Chichester folks – handled the situation better than the BBC! People have a right to protest, of course, but doing it this way is unacceptable. Go and annoy a politician or someone who has influence over these issues and not a sacred religious Choral Service. They don’t seem to have the brainpower to realise that, rather than listeners or those officiating and attending the Service being sympathetic to their cause, they would be seen as an annoyance by everyone.
As for Thomas Weelkes, he is certainly a wonderful composer whose music should be heard more often. I’ll dig out some of my CDs and have my own celebration…… free from protesters!
I’m waiting for the day the “Just Stop Oil” protesters wake up to the fact that most of their High-Vis jackets and painted banners will have been made from —- OIL…
The congregation should have followed the lead set by lorry drivers, construction workers and various other members of the public in dealing with climate / oil protesters and kicked the shit out of them before ejecting them. The fact that most of them were middle class poseurs does not exempt them from a good kicking. The simple mantra being “If you feel you have the right to conduct yourself in such a way, then we have the right to respond in a way that may deter you from such behaviour”.
The so-called “right to protest” needs to be redefined. At present it seems to be the only right that matters.
Listening on my car radio, irritating intrusion by self righteous twerps, crackpots.
Unlike some here, I wouldn’t deny climate protestors their right to make a fuss, particularly in this country where we have a government that is steadily undermining our move towards net zero. But I doubt anyone listening to that Choral Evensong had the slightest idea what the disruption was about. You couldn’t make out more than one or two words of what was said. It was a stupid, pointless exercise and the BBC handled it well enough. Those who think BBC continuity announcers should have an appropriate recording at hand to play immediately any programme is unexpectedly interrupted clearly haven’t thought through the practicality of that idea.
These protestors would never go after Black or multicultural acts and events, and that’s what’s so phony and hypocritical about them. They wouldn’t dare.