Don’t Menshn Songs Of Praise

After the BBC screened the edition of Songs Of Praise featuring footage shot in a Calais refugee camp, and including the makeshift Orthodox church attended by Christians from Syria, Eritrea and Ethiopia, the right-leaning press and its hangers-on sought to denigrate the broadcast in any way it could. This process, it became clear, could feature any level of creativity, and fact checking of the most basic kind need not be performed.

(c) Doc Hackenbush 2014

And, to demonstrate that, on occasion, stupid people can indeed study at the University of Oxford, (thankfully) former Tory MP Louise Mensch, who claims to be an “investigative journalist”, was clearly up for the attack, and the fullest possible display of stupidity.

Taking issue with Tim Montgomerie, whose idea of Christianity had far too much in the way of compassion for her liking, she observed “Forgot that here Tim not only praises 'migrants' scorning France, EU for England but applauds sex segregation. Ugh … .@GowTolson @montie thanks for picking up on this revoltingly unchristian sexual segregation which Christ never enforced on women. #feminism”.

Her latest source of information, Michael Gow Tolson, is a paid-up member of the UKIP lunatic fringe, something she has managed not to figure out. Instead, she dug herself in deeper: “in fact the entire thing looks faked. Why are women in a ‘Christian’ service not only all in headscarves but segregated? Can Tim Momtgomerie @montie and the BBC explain to me why they broadcast this attack on women?” Er, what?

It got worse: “It would appear the ‘congregation’ is Muslim, which accords to the demographics of the camp and Christian trappings are fakes … That means @montie @GowTolson that the BBC broadcast sheer political propaganda in the name of religion”. No, it means the BBC bothered to do their research - in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, men and women are routinely segregated, and women cover their hair.

Ms Mensch, of course, knows better: “Christians do not segregate sexes or ask women to veil hair. These are Muslims used for propaganda. What a huge catch by @GowTolson … these aren't ‘ethiopian orthodox' either, stop reaching. It's a sexist, segregated congregation and is not Christian”. Yes, UKIP fruitcakes are right, and the BBC is wrong.

And they weren’t fleeing anything! “Ethiopia is the economic powerhouse of Africa, experiencing growth. What war are Ethiopian Orthodox fleeing?” She then goes on to cite an Ethiopian propaganda site. Here is what Human Rights Watch has said recently: “Prior to the May 2015 elections, Ethiopia’s government silenced dissent. Authorities use arbitrary arrests and politically motivated prosecutions to silence journalists, bloggers, protesters, and perceived supporters of opposition political parties. Security forces respond to peaceful protests with excessive force, and detainees routinely allege torture and ill-treatment”. Can you hear an “investigative journalist” flushing her cred away?

The last word has to go to Montgomerie, who has for once summed up the situation rather well: “That doesn't make the Christians ‘fake’ as Mensch - the pound shop Ann Coulter - suggested” (Coulter is also seeing her stock fall). And don’t forget folks, they not only let her into Oxford, but allowed her to become a Tory MP.