“We swear by peace and love to stand heart to heart and hand to hand. Mark O Spirit and hear us now confirming this our sacred vow.” These words are not just about Druids standing together in peace but of all persons. It matters not whether they are Muslim, Heathen, rabbit or mountain – we stand together for peace and we call for peace, outwardly and openly.
I was pleased to see tweets by OBOD, BDO and TDN expressing words of peace and love to the friend, family and all those affected by the New Zealand attack. It is good too to see the statement on TDN website.
I have emailed our local Imam expressing solidarity and love towards our Muslim brothers and sisters. I have worked with him a few times on similar issues as Britain First target his mosque with protests every two weeks (BF are based about 20 miles away and we have a new mosque being built). I would encourage all my Druid and Pagan friends to do the same.
I remain worried about the supremacist claims linking themselves to Heathenry which is why, alongside the tweets and statements, I think we should send similar into the mainstream media to make our thoughts as public as possible. Personally, I walk alongside Wodan as the main god that I interact with (yes I know he is not Celtic… but he is part of my English heritage) so these claims feel a bit personal at times.