English fans told not to celebrate St George at World Cup
The police are telling England fans that they shouldn’t try to fly St George’s Cross – you know, the national flag of England – at the World Cup in Russia this summer. Because it’s colonialism or something. Locals, Russians, will be so outraged that something or other might happen.
Well, no, not really:
England fans are being urged by police not to display St George’s flag at the World Cup in Russia because it could bee seen as ‘imperialistic’ and ‘antagonistic’.
Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the head of football policing, said the flags were the trophies of choice for hooligans from rival countries.
It comes after Russian hooligans attacked England fans in 2016 and posted pictures of dozens of ‘captured’ St George’s flags.
That one group of fans might try to take and make off with the treasured flag of another group is obviously entirely possible. But it’s not going to be because it’s St George and England and not because of anything about patriotism, colonialism, imperialism or anything like that.
For St George isn’t in fact just the patron saint of England, he spreads his favours rather more widely than that. Bits and pieces of Northern Italy for example, and they use the cross itself as well. The Republic of Georgia in fact, what used to be a bit of the Soviet Union. Even, the city of Moscow – although unlike Georgia they don’t use the cross on their flag.
Yes, quite, the police are arguing that English fans should not, when in Moscow, display the flag of St George when St George is the patron saint of Moscow. Because imperialism.
If only the police had a clue, eh?
Posted: 21st, May 2018 | In: News, Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
