Posts made by Bedford Borough Council this week have gone viral, for all the right reasons, after they responded to ignorant comments from people asking why they were making sure all communities across the Borough were being represented.
It’s after responding to unfounded criticisms at their posts, marking the start of both Ramadan and Lent.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday (17 February), the council wished Muslim residents “Happy Ramadan for all members of our community who are observing their fast…”
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and begins with the sighting of the new crescent moon. Because it follows a lunar calendar, its start date changes each year and can vary slightly depending on local moon sightings.
The post prompted several comments questioning why the council had not marked Pancake Day. Shrove Tuesday, often associated with pancakes, falls on the day before Ash Wednesday and marks the start of Lent in the Christian calendar.
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts for 40 days. It is traditionally a period of fasting or abstinence, reflecting the 40 days Christians believe Jesus spent fasting in the desert. Its start date is also determined by lunar events.
Ignorance
The day after its Ramadan message, Bedford Borough Council posted about the start of Lent.
One early ignorant comment read: “Funny you put Ramadan and eid (sic) up first. Its (sic) a Christian country first and foremost”.
The council replied: “Ramadan began on February 17. That is why we put our Ramadan message on social media yesterday. Lent began today, which is why our Lent message went on social media one day later.
“The date of Lent is determined by the church calendar, rooted in the decisions of the Council of Nicaea (325 AD). The official start of Ramadan traditionally depends on the sighting of the new crescent moon.
“Bedford Borough Council holds no authority over the Council of Nicaea and was not responsible for the creation of the moon 4.53 billion years ago.”
The response has attracted over 2,000 reactions at the time of publication, none of them negative, and many comments praising the council’s approach to tackling the issue with dry humour.
‘I’m 41. Should I be annoyed that a friend turned 43 before me?,’ wrote one. ‘And they haven’t put *anything* up for Christmas yet. ANGRYFACE’, joked another.
Some took the comment more seriously.
One asked the ignorant commenter, ‘Could it be possible you are just holding up Christianity as a very thin veil for your racism?…’, while another highlighted the irony in their ignorance, ‘You’re not coming across as very ‘Christian’’, they said.
Comedian Dom Joly also shared a screenshot of the exchange with the caption: “Well played, Bedford Borough Council”.
His post has been shared almost 400 times and attracted almost 6,000 reactions at the time of publication, only one of which was negative.
According to the 2021 census, only 46% of people in England identify as Christian, the largest group in the country. The second-highest group behind them is those who say they have ‘no religion’ at 37%.
People identifying as Muslims make up just 7%.
In Bedford, 50% of people say they are Christian, 33% say they have no religion, and 11% are Muslim.
Bedford is said to be one of the most diverse areas in the country, with 23% of people living here from BAME backgrounds.
Bedford Borough Council declined to comment on the exchanges, but it’s widely agreed that its claim that it is not the creator of the moon is accurate.
Farage f-up
It’s not the first time Bedford Borough Council has helped celebrate the diversity of our Borough by holding the ignorant and racist to account.
Back in November 2022, Nigel Farage made a blunder when he tweeted that the council had failed to fly the English flag to mark St George’s Day (23 April), but had displayed the Albanian flag the previous day in celebration of Albanian Independence Day.
Read: Bedford Borough Council thanks Nigel Farage for ‘flagging’ Borough’s diversity after Twitter gaff
Responding to Farage, Bedford Borough Council shared an image showing the St George’s Cross flying from Borough Hall and the Old Town Hall on 23 April.
Then in June 2025, Bedford Borough Council had to explain to the moronic the reason behind raising the Progress Pride flag.
Read: Bedford Ian Writes… (27 June 2025)
In response to people who took offence at a flag designed to convey kindness and acceptance, the council’s social media team calmly explained the Progress Pride flag represents: visibility for people of colour, the trans community, and those living with HIV/AIDS.
They also pointed out that in the same week, they had also raised three other flags: Windrush, Armed Forces Day, and, as always, the Union Flag.
