UKIP’s much‑trailed “Christian” march through Birmingham yesterday didn’t so much slide into farce as hurl itself headlong into it, with leader Nick Tenconi dutifully assuming the role of altar boy during a pre‑march prayer ritual staged, with unintended comic effect, outside a pub.

Barely a few dozen supporters assembled outside the Fox and Goose pub in Ward End.

Beginning with a prayer session outside the pub, Tenconi took the role of thurifer, swinging an incense-filled thurible – a role usually assumed by an altar boy or girl in Christian services.

If the smoke didn’t leave bystanders coughing, the sheer hypocrisy of the spectacle certainly did.

Then, led by Tenconi, the group carried wooden crosses and Union flags as they processed along Washwood Heath Road, Sladefield Road and Alum Rock Road, pausing for prayers that often outlasted the gaps between marchers.

Outnumbered

And if the pro‑UKIP contingent was modest, the opposition was anything but.

Anti‑racist groups including Stand Up To Racism and Women Against the Far Right gathered at a nearby BP garage, quickly outnumbering the marchers and ensuring the procession never passed through the area unchallenged.

Chants, placards and a steady stream of local residents made clear that the far right’s attempt to rebrand itself in religious language was not fooling many in Birmingham.

Telling response

One telling response came from local churches and interfaith groups. A delegation carrying signs reading “Jesus Says Love Your Neighbour” handed out origami peace doves along the route, a quiet but pointed rebuttal to UKIP’s attempt to claim Christian moral authority.

The Community Interfaith Alliance praised cooperation between churches, mosques and residents, saying the area “refused to be used as a stage for division.”

In the end, the day followed a familiar script: a tiny far‑right procession puffing itself up with incense and theatrics, overshadowed by a far broader coalition determined to defend Birmingham’s cohesion.