To ask you to explain the logic - Gary Neville and flags

[BewaretheKraken]

The people putting up the flags are all about freedom of speech, apparently.

Gary Neville says he removed a flag that was being used negatively.

Now the people who love the flags are encouraging us to cancel Sky Sports to get him sacked - for expressing his opinion.

Almost like the whole “freedom of speech” schtick is a load of bollocks.

I disagree with GH , the flags are themselves not an issue , the problem in my view is they have been weaponised in the recent past so in many ways having them everywhere reclaims them. I terestinkt in Wales and Scotland the national flag would not be taken in such a negative way since claiming back is a positive step in my view.

Totally agree with Gary Neville. The flags are being used as a far right racist symbol at present. If GN can use his status as a public figure to voice his opinion on this then good for him. There is far too much racism amongst some football fans, which in itself is ridiculous as the premier league teams are made up with players of so many different nationalities. More needs to be done to stop racism in football. I certainly won't be cancelling my sky sports subscription.

I think a lot of people absolutely sick to death of being told they can't wave their own flag

Who (prior to the current campaign) was told that they couldn't wave the national flag?

One of them snatched a microphone out of a speaker's hand when she said she'd been groomed and SAed by white men as a teenager.

What's the orange flag?

I googled it and it's something to do with Syrian refugees. Designed to resemble a lifejacket apparently

Rylan the tango twt, can't think of anyone's opinion I care less about, he's annoying and he seems to be in *ing everything, random ads, Supermarket Sweep, the revival of Ready Steady Cook (what was wrong with bringing back Ainsley Harriott? I know some people found Ainsley annoying but he's not Rylan annoying and he's not orange with glow in the dark teeth), go away.

The Refugee flag

I thought someone had died the first time I saw one as they are all hung at half mast.

I completely agree with him and I’m glad that a white man who grew up in a working class family in the north has spoken up. He might have more luck in articulating the point than a politician who feels constrained to caveat any flag doubt with ‘ooh I love a bit of union jack bunting ordinarily’ in order not to alienate reform voters. That he used to play football is even better.

GN has been quite vocal about politics for many years. His Sky Sports salary is probably lovely to have but it’s hardly that he’s relying on it to pay his bills given his other financial interests. And yes, I thought the flags were heavily connected to freedom to speak out? Why does that only work one way?

I suspect he understands that point. I’m sure when he played for England he was quite happy to see the St George’s flag flying. He’s correct in saying that this is just about racism.

I think he’s just using his platform to comment on what we see happening right now - good for him, we need more of that, although I’m sure he’s going to be targeted with lots of abuse now. People don’t have to agree with him, but many support what he’s trying to do. Huge irony that lots of angry white middle-aged men are raging in the comments under posts of his video. I saw Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aka little Tommy Robinson) ranting about it. They’ll probably say Neville isn’t a patriot, which is strange given he’s played for his country, etc. Maybe he could also remind them next England game that domestic violence rates increase significantly whenever the English football team play…

It was designed by a Syrian artist for the 2016 refugee Olympic team - not specific to Syrian refugees - that team had people from all over the world including South Sudan, Iran, Cuba and Afghanistan as well as Syrian's.

In 2016 there were 10 people on the team. By 2024 it had increased to 37 from 11 different countries, with various host nations where they train and who support with papers etc for travel. The team won its first medal in 2024 (Cindy Ngamba won bronze in the boxing. Originally from Cameroon, she lives and trains in the UK, and was almost deported in 2019 due to lost paperwork. She's a lesbian and would have been imprisoned if she'd been sent back)

That scheme and those team members are an amazing example of overcoming adversity and unity.

He grew up in a very middle class home ,I lived less than a mile from him growing up ,Greenmount is a very desirable, area ,his parents were also well known locally his Dad played cricket at county level and his mum and subsequently his sister were highly accomplished netball players.

The flags went up during the hotel protests. They may make some people uncomfortable but it's unwise to write- off all flag protesters as right-wing, middle aged, white racist blokes. There is genuine anger and frustration, from a wide range of people, at the way the country is being run and and this needs to be addressed.

I agree with him.
Why have the English suddenly become patriotic? 🤷🏻‍♀️
As he said, he's had building sites for years and no flags and he's not about to start now.
Good for him!

The ones hanging round our town will soon be looking like tatty old rags at half mast on the lamposts. I can't see those that put them up in the dead of night will be taking them down, so it soon looks like a rundown shit hole, when it's actually a lovely little town.

GN has the same right as anyone else to voice his opinion. It’s also not unusual for him to speak out politically. For what it’s worth, I agree with him. Good to listen to all he said not just the headline snippet

When I see houses bedecked with these flags I immediately picture the person inside and assume their views and yes - rightly or wrongly- I judge. It’s instant for me I just find myself reacting. I find them intimidating. I wouldn’t step into a shop for example if it had displayed these flags outside, I would in years gone by though which says something. Unless there was something like the World Cup going on, then the flag is a joyful unity kind of display of support and pride.

Well he is entitled to his opinion and other people are entitled to disagree, cancelling sky sports is quite a polite way of showing disagreement surely?
I actually find it’s labour supporters who get most angry if you disagree with them and will immediately call you racist for showing the slightest concern about immigration.

Completely agree.

An angry middle aged white man blaming angry middle aged white men for dividing the country.
I think old Gal' has headed a few too many footballs 🤣🤣🤣

Its a bit pathetic to cancel a whole TV network because one bloke said something not very offensive.
Its not like he said anyone with a flag should be shot or beaten or imprisoned or kicked out the country. Unlike what many of the flag putter uppers have said about non white people.

Flying England flags is not an English tradition - except during international football matches. That’s why we can see the current campaign for what it is - unEnglish and racist.

Given Gary Neville has played for England & has heard fellow players & those he’s managed be subjected to racist abuse, then he’s in a very good position to comment.

Although to be fair, our national game would probably improve if all the non-English players were banned from the football leagues. Funnily enough I don’t think these are the immigrants that Farage & his troops want to ‘send home’.

Who do you think these middle aged white men will listen to? Women? People from ethnic minority communities? Kids? I think you know the answer.

People cancelling their sky subscriptions are probably trying to emulate the people who cancelled their Disney subscriptions after Jimmy Kimmell got pulled.

The irony (that with Kimmell it was about protecting free speech from government interference and with this it is about silencing someone they disagree with) will be completely lost on them.

They'll be burning their vintage England and Man U shirts next!

Gary should focus on paying his restaurant staff and taxes properly and stop telling working class people what to do imo.