The St. George's flag will not be flying over Radstock any time soon after town councillors decided it was not appropriate because of its ties to military campaigns against Islam hundreds of years ago.The town council decided to not to buy a St GeorgeÂ’s flag after a discussion about repairs to the civic flagpole to ensure a Union Jack could be flown on Armistice Day.
Labour Councillor Eleanor Jackson, a university lecturer and teacher, said its use during the Crusades could mean England's national flag could be seen by some as offensive. She added, "My big problem is that it is offensive to some Muslims but even more so that it has been hijacked by the far right. My thoughts are we ought to drop it for 20 years."
She suggested the Union flag was a more inclusive and acceptable way to display national pride.
John Clements, vice-president of national patriotic group the Royal Society of St George, called the decision "nonsense" and said "censoring" of the national flag played into the hands of the far right.
Nasima Begum, a spokeswoman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said it encouraged the flying of the St George's flag. She said, "St. George needs to take his rightful place as a national symbol of inclusivity rather than a symbol of hatred. St George actually lived before the birth of Islam and should not be associated with any hatred of Muslims."