A NEW poll by British Future found that 39 per cent of people in England and 47 per cent of ethnic minorities would not display the England flag because they would not want to appear to support the far right.
The research, published on Monday, found that 81 per cent of people and 73 per cent of ethnic minorities agree: “I don’t like it when our English flag is linked to racism or used to intimidate minorities. That’s not what this country stands for.”
Three quarters of respondents (75 per cent) said they “would like to hear more people and organisations publicly celebrating pride in England in a way that makes clear they are also opposed to prejudice.”
The poll found that 86 per cent of white respondents and 73 per cent of ethnic minorities think someone can be English regardless of their skin colour. Only 8 per cent of white people and 16 per cent of ethnic minorities said you have to be white to be English.
The findings are part of a new toolkit, ‘England United; Pride not prejudice’, published ahead of St George’s Day. It found that 53 per cent of the public and 45 per cent of ethnic minorities feel a St George’s Day party belongs to people of all backgrounds, while 72 per cent of respondents said they would “welcome efforts to mark St George’s Day that show that people from different ethnic backgrounds are invited to be part of it.”
Sunder Katwala said: “Englishness should be open to everyone who calls this country home, whatever the colour of their skin. We should all be able to express pride in our country if we want to.”
He added: “Right now, a lot of people feel uneasy about the England flag because of how it’s been co-opted by the far right. But they don’t want to feel that way about their country’s flag. There’s a real appetite for a more inclusive celebration of pride in England.”
