We lament the cruel and unnecessary death of George Floyd, and others like him, and pray for their families and friends. We are deeply concerned that Mr Floyd should not have met his death at the hands of police: when confidence in the police is so seriously undermined the whole of society suffers.

In the wake of the cruel and needless death of George Floyd and the widespread cry for an end to the "polemic of racism" we call upon our Methodist people to stand up against the sin of racism. Let us not just condemn the wicked actions of others in the present or the past, but let us examine our own hearts and attitudes. Like the related evil of sectarianism, racism can be deeply ingrained and yet hidden, under a veneer of respectability. In doing so, we are not saying anything new.