Gareth Southgate has called for England to come together as he admitted that he worries about the state of unity in modern life. The former Three Lions boss joined BBC Breakfast, where he was asked about the usage of St George’s and Union Jack flags, leading to a debate over what they represent in this day and age.
Increased use has caused some to view the flags in conjunction with the rise of far-right demonstrations across the nation. Earlier this year, flags appeared on lampposts and roundabouts, leading Lewis Neilsen from Stand Up to Racism to warn that the surge in flags is “really dangerous.”
Operation Raise the Colours’ initiative quickly boomed into a nationwide talking point, with Southgate now weighing in on matters.
“I worry about unity,” Southgate confessed. “I have seen what we did with the team unify every community. I do think that there is more that bonds us all than separates us.
“In any period in history there will be some disunity under the surface. Life is tough, economically tough for people.
“But there is so much more… Covid was a good example where people did the shopping for their neighbours. People rallied around, that is the British spirit is about and I think we should try to focus on what brings us together than what separates us.”
When asked if he thought that there was more diunity now than a few years ago, Southgate replied: “That feels the way but we have an opportunity to change that narrative.
“I have seen the big nights with England bring every community together, people showed their pride in being English.
“I know that when I travel around, that’s the thing that people talk to me about. We had a huge disconnection with the team when we started and eight years on, we have had some incredible nights and some incredible memories created. They are the things we should focus more on.”
Southgate’s comments come days after a 68-year-old pensioner said he was assaulted after taking down a flag from a lamppost.
An unnamed Norwich man claimed that he was confronted by a group of men while trying to remove an English flag in his neighbourhood, one of which stomped on his head.
“I was face down in the road while they hit me, using the pole I was using to take the flags down to strike me, and someone stomped on my head,” he said. The attack ultimately ended when a passerby intervened and called the police.”
Norfolk Police dropped the investigation, citing a lack of suspects and incriminating CCTV footage, but the man accused police of prematurely dropping the investigation.
