Is a St George cross an underlying sign of passive racism?

[ThatCyanJoker]

Walked past the house of a relatively new friend today and was surprised to see they’ve put up a huge flagpole, complete with St George cross flag flying high. I am generally patriotic , and put out the bunting for notable occasions without a second thought. I would probably be pleased had it been a Union Jack, but the St George has an undertone of racism to me, unless it’s flown for the football World Cup or something.
AIBU to reconsider friendship?

Yes, unfortunately certain groups have co-opted it (e.g. roundabout painting, putting it on lampposts near centres for immigrants, draping it over themselves while rioting etc) and it currently has racist undertones. I think anyone denying this is being disingenuous or faux-naive.

However, this is a movement to reclaim it (e.g. for churches to fly it). And as others have said, it could have been for the rugby or St Georges day. I am all in favour of reclaiming it, but it would be difficult to do sensitively.

Probably the best thing to do would be to ask her.

The pub in my village is covered in them at the moment.

i assumed there was footy or rugby tournament?

Our local City Council flew the Flag of St George from the Town Hall last week. Labour led Council, multicultural northern city. Not racist.

How utterly ridiculous. Would an Indian family flying the Indian flag be 'racist'?

Might be. Might not be.

But the flag hasn’t been “hijacked” by racists. It’s by right the flag of English racists, anti-racists, liberals, conservatives, communists, pentecostalists, islamists, spiritualists, etc etc etc.

If the flag now ”belongs” to racists, who gave it to them? All the rest of us who decided to donate it to them.

Around here, an individual choosing to fly a St George’s cross is being actively racist. Nothing passive about it.

No, this is not racist.

Yes, but we didn’t have a protracted campaign to use the Saltire or the Lion Rampant to bully immigrants, did we? That’s the difference.

People saying ‘pubs and town halls fly the flag’ are being faux naive at best. It is not the same and you know it.

It’s only considered a racist flag by idiots and virtue signallers. The rest of us are quite capable of realising that English people are allowed to be proud of England. It’s a shame you’re so judgemental, OP. Your friend should drop you for being a small minded sheep.

i don’t understand why people so doggedly ignore context in this debate.
The swakiska is only a symbol. The point is what such items commonly represent and if you haven’t realised that George’s flag has been harnessed by the far right for many decades, you’re either foreign, or being disingenuous

Take it back, decent English people.

Going by this thread, any decent English person who flies a St George's flag is automatically assumed to be racist, even if it's flown for St George's Day.

Yes it’s 100% racist. I couldn't be friends with someone like that.

Well I wouldn't want to be friends with someone like you and many of the others on this thread.

this is a movement to reclaim it (e.g. for churches to fly it).

Churches have flown the flag for many, many years. It is not a new thing.

My mid Glam DH says you don’t need to be on the union flag because nothing is going to come close to y Ddraig Goch (I hope I’ve got the y in the right place, it’s a beautiful language but not the easiest to learn!) and your national anthem is better than ours too 😁

Football and rugby fans display the flag, not racist.
I think we need to take it back from those who would use it with ill intent, so perhaps we should display it more!

Excellent points 👌

Aww - I think I agree with him actually! And your Welsh is flawless - da iawn!

I get shivers when I hear the anthem, genuine shivers. It's the best!

I have decs up for St George’s day every year. I am patriotic and I’m certainly not racist and neither is my neighbour doing the same for St Patrick’s day.

It's in our power to stop certain groups appropriating national symbols, which previously had only a ceremonial meaning.

When I was a student it was the Union flag which had sinister overtones because the National Front used it a lot. I'm glad that it has largely been reclaimed now. It's one of the most striking and attractive (and original in design) flags of all, and we should be proud of it as the French are proud of their rather more boring Tricoloeur.

I celebrate all the UK national days (maybe that's cultural appropriation, but I don't care) but I wore a rose on St George's Day last week, not a St George cross. I hope that the St George cross will eventually lose its unsavoury associations - but we shouldn't surrender to them.

Good points. I was pleased to see it flying from the top of our town hall - using it's symbolism properly. It doesn't belong to bigots.

Painted on a roundabout yes. Around here flying the flag says more about your interest in football.

So what do people have e issue with it then? Is it only allowed when it's not the world cup as that's ok? Any other time is racist? Mad.

Good point about the NF and the Union Flag
I think a lot of people on here don't realise that for a while, they utilised it as their symbol.
It's possible to take it back.

Are you referring to the St George's Cross or the Union Jack? The latter is the flag of the UK. Racists have tried to use the St George's Cross to intimidate others. It doesn't mean everyone who flies one is racist.

Proper flag on a flagpole fine
During sporting or special evens fine

Cheap china crap half way up a lamp post or painted on a roundabout, very likely racist.

It isn’t inherently racist it’s just been hijacked by racists in a way the Scottish flag hasn’t. If I see a Union Jack outside a house in Scotland on the other hand, I’m going to make some assumptions.