A CHAPLAIN who heckled Tommy Robinson during his Christmas carol event said that it was ironic to be called a bigot.

Symon Hill told the far-right agitator “this is blasphemy” after joining hundreds of grassroots Christian protesters in London on Saturday.

The Aston University chaplain told the Morning Star: “As it finished, when the police guarding Tommy Robinson led him away, he walked right past me.

“I managed to heckle him from five yards away but he didn’t respond. He took me by surprise — I shouted ‘this is blasphemy, Robinson.’ 

“He was surrounded by his goons and they were surrounded by police… one of his goons shouted at me and a few others glared at me and a couple of them came over to me and challenged me. One of them called me a bigot, which was ironic.”

The “Put the Christ Back into Christmas” event by Mr Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, had a huge drop-off in attendance from his last rally in London.

The Metropolitan Police said that about 1,000 people attended. An estimated 110,000 turned up to Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom rally in September.

Mr Hill said: “We’ve all got a responsibility to resist racism, fascism and homophobia but particularly when it’s being done in my name… it’s vital that those of us who are Christian ministers don’t let ourselves be used in that way. 

“It made me feel very glad to have done it but also very much aware that I can’t just sit back.”

Before the event, the Church of England released a video on its YouTube channel with “a simple reminder that Christmas belongs to all of us, and everyone is welcome to celebrate.”