St James's Piccadilly and its carol service

St James's Piccadilly describes itself as "an inclusive Christian church..." but it would appear not that inclusive. This church is reported to have held a Christmas church service featuring carols re-written to attack Israel.

"The event, titled "Bethlehem Now: Nine Alternative Lessons and Carols", was held last week St James's, Piccadilly and organised by Open Bethlehem, a Palestinian group and Jews for Boycotting Israeli.

It saw Once in Royal David's City sung as: "Once in Royal David's City, Stood a big apartheid wall, People entering and leaving, Had to pass a checkpoint hall, Bethlehem was strangulated, And her children segregated."

The Twelve Days of Christmas was refashioned as: "Twelve assassinations, Eleven homes demolished, Ten wells obstructed, Nine sniper towers, Eight gunships firing, Seven checkpoints blocking, Six tanks a-rolling, Five settlement rings, Four falling bombs, Three trench guns, Two trampled doves, And an uprooted olive tree."

The Rector of St James's Piccadilly, the Rev Charles Hedley, has said that he received dozens of complaints and will "think twice" before allowing a repeat of the service in his church, according to The Times.

The newspaper adds that the offices of both the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and his predecessor Lord Carey of Clifton have also criticised the service.

Among the guests were Baroness Tonge, the Liberal Democrat peer who was sacked from the party's front bench in 2004 after saying she "understood" why Palestinians became suicide bombers and that she would consider becoming one if she were Palestinian."

Somehow I doubt that the Rev Charles Hedley or his church will ever comment adversely at the Palestinian terrorists who kill Israeli children when they can and still fire rockets at Israel (parts within the oh so important 1967 borders) as often as they can and many of who belong to terrorist organisations who are dedicated to destroying Israel completely, not to living alongside a democratic Israel. Somehow I doubt that the facts about the Middle East matter to Rev Charles Headley, Open Bethlehem or Jews for Boycotting Israeli (shouldn't that be Israel?), facts are inconvenient and get in the way of prejudice.