"People who use the union jack or St George's cross as a form of aggressive nationalism do not love their country, a senior Liberal Democrat has said, as he hit back at a wave of hard-right activism based around the flags. In a strongly worded speech to a rally opening the party's annual conference in Bournemouth, Tim Farron, a former leader who now speaks for the party on the environment and rural affairs, said national flags should never be used to intimidate."
"Our flag does not belong to Liberals, or to Conservatives, Reform, or to Labour. It does not belong to one creed or to one race. It belongs to one people, the British people. We will not let our flag be used to intimidate. We will not let our flag become the property of a minority, he said. So my message to the nationalists is this: I'm afraid that you do not really love your country."
National flags should never be used to intimidate. Using the Union Jack or St George's Cross to promote aggressive nationalism or to terrorise communities does not equate to love of country. Those who hijack national symbols to insist on a narrow definition of Britishness or patriotism exclude and intimidate neighbours. Patriotism is a pride in country that embraces all people; nationalism excludes and targets others. The flag belongs to the British people collectively, not to any single party, creed, race, or minority faction. The flag must not become the property of a minority or be used as a tool of exclusion.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]