Normally, I would do a blow by blow of the day and a breakdown of the talks I attended, but this time I'm going to veer away from that (I intend to do some posts in future about the avenues that I've been directed towards as a result of Witchfest) because I want to talk about something else.
Whenever Witchfest comes to Croydon, we are met with pushback from protestors. Sometimes it's one or two people with signs who will appreciate a cuppa from one of our volunteers. Other years, like this, we're met with vitriol and harassment. It's such a sad sight to see, being that Fairfield Halls has been home to Witchfest for almost the entire time International (and Witchfest England, when that ran) has been around. My first ever Witchfest was at Fairfield Halls and coming there always feels like coming home. But to try and enter that home when there are people walking behind me, my partner and my son shouting that we're going to Hell is not the best experience.
Honestly, despite all this, I wasn't expecting the hatred and abuse coming from the protestors on the day. My family and I got off lightly- we had reports of fellow witches being accosted, had awful things screamed in their faces, were condescended to, told they were going to Hell for all manner of things (not just for witchcraft, apparently being a vegetarian or avoiding toothpaste with fluoride in it was also a Hell offense).
And I just... despair. My other half is Christian, as are my in-laws. My mother-in-law is very much a woman of faith. I lived with a Christian when I was at university, and we are still friends today. Our kids are friends. In my every day life, I speak openly about being a witch and every single Christian person in my life meets that with understanding and interest. My partner and I will often have theological discussions. Whilst our views on the structure of the universe is very different, at the heart of both of our faiths is a very strong "be kind".
So when I see people like these protestors who claim to be Christian but behave in such an awful way, I feel so much anger. Behind all of their "God loves you unconditionally" comes a caveat of "you must accept the Christian God and Jesus or be condemned to the fires of Hell". That's not unconditional. That's not the peace and love that Jesus preached. Whilst I'm not one to speak for holy figures, I cannot imagine a world where Jesus would look at those protestors and go "yep, that's what I wanted from my legacy".
My partner and I discussed this at length, because I am still struggling with what I know about Christianity versus the ugliness I have experienced from protestors like these since my teens. According to them, it's a big divide and debate in the meanings of certain passages, largely down to how ancient Hebrew is translated. It's about belief versus action and whether it's more important to believe in God or to be a good person. Or whether bad behaviour counts as good because the person doing it believes they are doing the right thing (or, as I put it as a Neighbours fan, the Paul Robinson Paradox).
Those protestors thought they were doing the right thing by trying to "save us from Hell". But I can guarantee that they didn't succeed in converting any of us. Not just because we were all already at a festival that celebrates and enhances our path, but also because of how awful they were to us. I'm more inclined to listen to someone who wants to have a conversation in good faith and open mindedness than someone who yells at me whilst waving a flyer in my face. Pagans aren't a monolith, every single one of us in the community has a different path, a different experience. Instead of fighting each other about who is more valid, we hold together and make each other feel loved and safe. That's part of what makes Witchfest so amazing.
The protestors weren't there to "save us". They were there to harass us. To scare us. To make us feel unwelcome and hated.
The joke is on them, because we are stronger than they think. We support each other.
If we move venues eventually, we move. But the protestors will not have won, because us witches are here to stay. We are strong. We respect our world and each other.
It's about time they follow our example.
Blessings,
Shanti
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