By Victoria Ward 4:42PM BST 15 May 2013
A local council decided against flying the flag of St George after concerns were raised that it would offend the town’s 16 Muslim residents.
The flag of St George. Not a sight that will be seen in Radstock anytime soon Photo: ALAMY
Eleanor Jackson, a university lecturer, said the red and white symbol could cause upset in Radstock, Somerset, because it was used during the Crusades 1,000 years ago.
The Labour councillor voiced her concerns at a meeting called to discuss which flag should be purchased to fly atop the town's repaired civic flagpole.
She said: “My big problem is that it is offensive to some Muslims, but even more so that it has been hijacked by the far right.
"My thoughts are we ought to drop it for 20 years."
Radstock Town Council, which serves a local population of more than 5,600 residents, eventually decided to purchase a Union flag to fly on Armistice Day.
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The rainbow flag of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride movement will be flown at “appropriate” times of the year while an In Bloom flag will celebrate the town's achievements in the gardening competition.
The objections raised about the flag of St George were branded “oversensitive” by the local Muslim community while the Muslim Council of Britain said England's patron saint should not be associated with “any hatred of Muslims”.
Spokeswoman Nasima Begum said: "St George needs to take his rightful place as a national symbol of inclusivity rather than a symbol of hatred.”
Rizwan Ahmed, spokesman for the Bristol Muslim Cultural Society said: "I think they are going a bit far here.
"It is political correctness going a bit too far.
"Use by the far right is one thing, but to say that Muslims are offended I don't think is correct. We understand the flag is part of this country's heritage, and in fact many many Muslims will identify as being British themselves.
"In actual fact we are normal people. We have a sense of humour and have the same concerns as everyone else – we are not just some single group."
Lesley Mansell, the council chair, insisted that the discussion focused primarily on buying a Union flag.
“We were presented a list of every flag we can fly as a local authority but the council agreed that we did not want to fly all of them and simply wanted to purchase our own Union Jack," she said.
“The statement made by one councillor regarding the St George’s flag was not really taken into consideration.”
Council vetoes flag of St George after concerns raised about links to Crusades - Telegraph
