St George’s flag has become a racist symbol, say ethnic minority adults.

A YouGov poll  has  found 52% of ethnic minority adults say the St George’s flag is now a racist symbol. https://yougov.co.uk/society/articles/53457-england-flag-has-become-a-racist-symbol-say-ethnic-minority-adults The YouGov survey  also  found both white and ethnic minority adults view the surge in flags being put up on lampposts and bridges in towns in the UK as "anti migrant."   

Meanwhile 39 per cent of the wider British public agreed with the claim.  Around 42 per cent say the motivation of displaying St George's colours is "discriminatory," compared to 29 per cent who think it is for patriotic reasons.  

Both white and ethnic minority adults tend to think that people displaying the cross at home are doing so with an anti-migrant/minority intent.   

The surge in St George's flags and Union Jacks being hung on lamp posts, bridges and street signs, began in the summer as part of Operation Raise the Colours.  

Critics see darker forces undergirding the broader flag campaign. They view this groundswell as little more than an aggressive, provocative message to people with an immigrant background and nonwhite residents.  

The anti-racist campaign group Hope Not Hate reported that the founders of Operation Raise the Colours include “well-known far-right extremists” and allies of Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, a convicted fraudster with a violent criminal record who has become a leading nationalist voice in Britain.

Indeed, Elon Musk himself has used his X audience of 223 million to voice support for Robinson, as well as other far-right figures in Britain and across Europe. These fears are widespread. When a St. George’s Cross was painted on the wall of St. John the Baptist church, in the town of Lincoln, the vicar, Rachel Heskins, saw it as a clear “attempt to intimidate” the diverse local community. 

 “The St. George’s Cross has become a symbol of nationalism, which has become confused with patriotism — the two are very different,” she told the BBC.  

All this comes as immigration is now the top issue for voters in England, having just overtaken the cost-of-living crisis throttling millions, polls show. Far  right Reform leader , Trump ally and friend Nigel Farage,  recently said he would carry out a mass deportation of 600,000 people if he wins the next election in 2029. 

The YouGov survey also found that 71 per cent of Green voters said they found the flags to be racist, compared to 58 per cent Labour and 53 per cent Lib Dems.  

Just eight per cent of Reform UK voters agreed, compared to 18 per cent for the Conservatives. It also revealed the British public are generally comfortable with neighbours flying the England flag, but 48 per cent of ethnic minorities felt uncomfortable.

I am not of an ethnic minority but  I personally also see the St George flag alongside the Union flag  as being  used as racist symbols. For years we were told we were unpatriotic or overreacting for pointing out the St George's flag had been co-opted and used as a symbol of hate. It  seems pretty  obvious  though  that the flag has been hijacked by fake patriots and racists to intimidate and  spread hatred. 

It would be nice if these people flying the flag realised St George was born in Roman Cappadocia  in  the 3rd century; in what is now  modern Turkey where his  father is usually traced back to also,  and it is believed his mother was a Palestinian from Lydda - now Lod, in Israel. 

St George  died in Lydda, and never once set foot in what was then called Britannia. He's also considered a Saint in Islamic communities, and is  also  the patron saint of amongst others Catalonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Moscow, Istanbul and Genoa, although not all have adopted his red and white banner.

St George's Day, on 23 April, marks the date of his execution in 303 for refusing to recant his Christianity. In the 1,700 years or so since his death, the saint has also become identified with other figures, some historical and some mythical. The  legend of him saving a maiden by killing a dragon probably originated in the Middle Ages. It  us  also said he was a Cappadocian Greek officer in the Byzantine Army and a Christian. Adopted by the Normans, who replaced the original patron saint of England, St Edmund, who was English. 

Although many details of his life remain unclear, Palestinians see him as having set a powerful example for helping the needy and bravely standing up for one's beliefs.  It is this reputation that has also made him popular around the world.

Sadly the St George's Cross  being flown now  across England is basically inseparable from its status as a piece of racist iconography and have been tainted by association with the far-right and fascists. Nobody seems surprised any more to see some bull-headed idiot draped in the flag and performing a Nazi salute. 

If the flags had gone up on the  King's birthday or actually  on  St George's day I'd say different  but the current flag shagging display says nothing other than "migrants are not welcome here"