A recent meeting has called into question the Freemasons donation to the London fire brigade
(Picture: PA)The Fire Brigades Union, which represents the London fire brigade (LFB), has raised concerns about the service’s relationship with the Freemasons.
The questionable relationship was brought up during a recent London assembly following accusations of racism and misogyny within the department.
Gareth Beeton, FBU’s London region chair, discussed the Freemasons’ recent donation of £2.5m for specialist equipment.
The specialist equipment that was bought from the Freemasons’ sizeable donation includes insignia on the sides of two fire engines.
Beeton raised his concern about the LFB’s involvement with the Freemasons and demanded the insignia be removed.
He highlighted the importance of breaking away from a largely secretive society due to its exclusion of women and also given the culture review the brigade is undergoing following the death of firefighter Jaden Matthew Francois-Esprit, who took his life after suffering from racial abuse and bullying.
What are the Freemasons?
Freemasons follow the teachings and practices of Free and Accepted Masons, who are divided into three major degrees — entered apprentice, fellow of the craft, and master mason.
It is an oath-bound society that is devoted to moral discipline, fellowship and mutual assistance. It conceals most of its rituals, activities and customs from the public, making it difficult to know what exactly takes place during these meetings.
Freemason roots can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Europe.
In the US, the secrecy of the masons garnered such distrust in the early years that it inspired America’s first “third party”: the Anti-Masonic Party, founded in 1828.
During the second world war, the Nazis rejected Freemasonry, banning it in January 1934, partly because it was associated with Jews.
Can women join the Freemasons?
Women can become Freemasons but cannot join the United Grand Lodge of England.
In 2018, Freemasons announced it would allow transgender women to stay in the lodge, but only if they were men at the time of joining.
There are about 4,700 female Freemasons in the UK.
Woman are allowed to join the Freemasons lodges known as “lodges of adoption”, which include The Order of Women Freemasons and Freemasonry for Women.
Do freemasons have a secret handshake?
Freemasons do use secret handshakes among its members.
Apprentices and masters also have distinctively different handshakes helping them identify one another.
These secret handshakes are used as secret signals to subtly indicate who is of what level.
Dr David Staples, the deputy grand master of ceremonies for the United Grand Lodge of England, said in an interview with Metro: “We have a handshake that we use in ceremonies, but there is a lodged disciplinary system if they use it outside of the organisation.
“It is part of our history and traditions from when the Freemasons were created.”
Who is connected to the masons?
Freemason members have included politicians, engineers, scientists, writers, inventors and philosophers.
Many Freemason members have played prominent roles in world events, such as revolutions, wars and intellectual movements including Benjamin Franklin, Sir Alexander Fleming, Prince Philip, King George VI, Peter Sellers and Winston Churchill.
A fire brigade spokesperson said: “Accepting donations of funding for equipment from charitable organisations is not unusual for the emergency services and the London Freemasons have also supported other emergency services in the capital.
“However, we are aware that this issue was raised by a number of staff following the brigade’s recent independent culture review and we are therefore considering our options for this relationship now.”
