Rainbow Junktion Leeds food charity defends criticism of Royal Family amid cost of living crisis

Rainbow Junktion, based at All Hallows’ Church on Regent Terrace in Burley, criticised the monarchy in a series of Facebook posts.

In response to one complaint, the charity wrote: “We are worried that people who come to see us are at risk of starving or freezing to death over the winter and we find the amount of money being spent on a coronation and funeral incredibly disrespectful”.

In response to one resident's complaint, who said the posts were “distasteful”, Rainbow Junktion apologised and removed the posts.

The organisation runs a community cafe on Mondays and Thursdays providing meals and on Fridays it provides food and groceries, both of which are at a pay-as-you-feel rate. It receives food donations from various businesses and organisations.

Manager of the charity, Emily Carrigan, told the YEP: “We’re dealing with people who are choosing between heating and eating and I do find it distasteful the amount of money that’s going to be spent when we’re in the worst cost of living crisis that we’ve ever faced. It’s not a personal attack on the Queen, I was really trying to highlight the injustice of the situation.

"I can’t stress enough how hard it has been. We’ve worked endlessly and it’s been really tough so maybe we don’t always make the right decisions on social media when you’re feeling angry about the world. I’m not angry at the Queen, I’m angry at the whole system.”

The vicar for the church, Heston Groenewald, added: “We get that this is a massive moment in British history and the Queen holds a central place in the identity of a lot of people but at the same time she and her family are implicit in all the inequalities. They’re all millionaires and they live in palaces so that is a difficult tension to hold together.

"We’re just really frustrated of seeing endless numbers of Her Majesty’s subjects who are struggling to survive.”

Asked whether they felt it was an appropriate time to bring up the issues, Emily said: “When is the time to talk about the monarchy? It’s surely at the point of changeover that we should talk about whether it is the best use of our resources.”

The charity provided food parcels for those in need throughout the coronavirus pandemic and Emily said that the number of people visiting has gone up noticeably in recent months.

"It’s been a really long, hard two and a half years”, she said.

“We were on the front line of Covid and now we’re on the front line of the cost of living crisis and it’s heartbreaking to see how many people are in a desperate situation and that’s why we get angry about things. This is not a job we should be doing – this is the state’s job.”

Rainbow Junktion will be open on Monday, the day of the Queen’s funeral , and is hoping to use the inside of the church as a warm space for those struggling to pay heating bills. The charity also hosts other projects and events including English lessons, support groups and police surgeries. To find out more visit their Instagram or Facebook pages.