Ex-soldier told to repaint his St George's

[dekker87]

there's a world of difference between nationalism and fascism. being proud of your country isn't a crime.

patriotism isn't a sin.

how on earth can it be deemed offensive to fly your country's flag IN YOUR OWN COUNTRY??

how can ANY foreign national be upset at seeing the flag of the nation that opened their door to them and provided them with a home?

can you imagine what would happen if we went to poland and told them to remove their flags because they 'offended' us??

the area I live in has the 2nd highest rate of asian people (per head of population) in the country, only slightly behind bradford, and the place is literally festooned with flags! no-one bats an eyelid.

the george cross is flown from churches & town halls all over england, and they're hardly bastions of racial hatred are they?

I notice the 'person' making the complaint was english, not asian, and obviously doesn't understand the concept of reverse-racism.

time she started thinking about a career change methinks.....

what these strange people who seem to be offended about everything don't want to make explicitly clear is that within their paradigm nationalism is indeed as bad as fascism...and being proud of your country is a crime.

[Setton]

The crescent is a universal symbol of a major world religion.

The cross of St George is a universal symbol of a major world country. What's your point?

Those wishing to suppress Muslims and not allow them to display the crescent on Islamic mosques maybe share similar sentiments to the EDL.

That is the exact type of hate, suppression, and/or intolerance the EDL is known for.

I agree that preventing Muslims having crescents on mosques is wrong. Just as preventing someone flying their flag is wrong.

Obviously, as he doesn't own the property, the landlord is entirely entitled to refuse permission and tell him to remove it.

I was also not aware that St. George's Cross was specifically used as a symbol for the British Army.

It isn't. But his being in the army is nothing to do with the story. He stated very clearly that it's because he is proud to be English.

So let's change this to a hypothetical discussion:

I own my own house. I've been in Scouting since I was 6 and decide that, as I am proud to be a Scout, I will paint the cross of St George on my door as he is our patron saint.

Should I have to remove it and why/why not? Open to everyone.

Blame the EDL. If you want anything to change then protest against the EDL.

Or, you know, protest those who are oppressing people's right to display their loyalties. Whether these oppressors are councils or fringe members of the EDL should make no difference.

If their is reluctance to that then perhaps supporting them is your cup of tea. Expect frowns.

Hmm. Protest against them or you agree with them...

You might identify with this opening line:

also he looks like a thug or hooligan

Because looks are such a good way of identifying someone's thoughts. Did it occur to you that maybe he keeps his hair cut short because of his military background? Or that he looks grim because someone's telling him not to display his flag? Unless fleeces are the new uniform for thugs, I don't know what else could lead you to your conclusion.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

Was not aware of any specific Islamic hate group operating in the UK that used the crescent as its symbol.

The crescent is a universal symbol of a major world religion.

Those wishing to suppress Muslims and not allow them to display the crescent on Islamic mosques maybe share similar sentiments to the EDL.

That is the exact type of hate, suppression, and/or intolerance the EDL is known for.

I was also not aware that St. George's Cross was specifically used as a symbol for the British Army.

Blame the EDL. If you want anything to change then protest against the EDL.

If their is reluctance to that then perhaps supporting them is your cup of tea. Expect frowns.

It's a national flag!

It's like someone saying "ban the stars and stripes because it offends me because of their invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan".