Sir – On Sunday, April 13, a large crowd of enthralled and respectful spectators watched the Woodstock Passion Play, as you illustrated in colour (April 17).
By contrast, Oxford City Council’s ‘Licensing Team’ under Julian Alison took it upon themselves to ban the performance of the Cowley Road Passion Play at the last minute. Apparently the team did not realise it was a religious event, and thought that Christ’s Passion equates with lust.
This does seem a shame, because their action quite unnecessarily offended and disappointed many people. I wrote on April 17 to ask what sanctions have been applied.
I thought perhaps their leader might benefit from a retraining course, but I was unable to think of politically correct synonyms for ignorance and prejudice. I received no reply. At a time when the Christianity, which has inescapably shaped our culture, is under attack by both religious and anti-religious fanatics, we do not expect those who serve us in the council to be great philosophers or theologians, but they might possess a degree of common sense.
John Nandris, Merton