‘Pride and not prejudice’ at interfaith St George’s Day celebrations

79 per cent of people in England support the Cross of St George being flown in public for St George’s Day, a survey found.

Faith representatives and members of the public gathered in London for a “Walk of Faiths” to celebrate St George’s Day with “a message of unity, respect and togetherness”.

The interfaith walk organised by Faiths Forum for London started at St George’s Church, St John’s Wood and then proceeded to visit places of worship of other faiths, finishing with a celebration.

St George, who was born in modern-day Turkey and martyred for his Christian faith around the year 303 in Roman Palestine, is venerated by Muslims as well as Christians worldwide, and has been England’s patron saint since the thirteenth century.

“St George’s Day is a day to celebrate and be proud of what unites our country,” said Maurice Ostro, founder patron of the Faiths Forum for London and Vice President of The Council of Christians and Jews.

“The vast majority of people in this country of all ages, backgrounds and beliefs want to be part of an inclusive English patriotism for everyone who calls this land home.”

In his St George’s Day speech, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer lamented that there are “voices both here and abroad who would seek to divide us, to set us apart from each other”.

He warned of the horrifying rise in attacks against synagogues and mosques, and said, “Not just senseless acts of abuse, they’re designed to send a message to the Jewish and Muslim communities that they’re not safe and not welcome, in an attempt to rip up the bonds that tie our communities together.

“We will not let them do this. We reject their division completely. We will fly our flag proudly. It belongs to us, and we will fly it for the values we believe in.”

Only half the public currently feel celebrating St George’s Day is inclusive, but 7 in 10 would welcome efforts to make sure people from all backgrounds feel invited, a survey by British Future found.

British Future, a charity that explores public attitudes and policy options on integration and immigration, identity and race in the UK, has published a toolkit for inclusive English pride entitled “Pride not prejudice”.

Only 44 per cent of ethnic minority respondents said St George’s Day belongs to people of all backgrounds, and older people were more likely to say it did, with only 43 per cent of 18-24s agreeing with them.

72 per cent of people in England say 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”, and only 7 per cent disagree, the survey also found.

The idea was supported by voters for all parties, including 78 per cent of 2024 Labour voters; 79 per cent of Conservatives; 72 per cent of Liberal Democrats; 74 per cent of Greens and 72 per cent of Reform UK voters.

The survey also found that the vast majority of people agree that “Englishness” is open to people of all ethnic backgrounds, though a 10 per cent minority believe one has to be white to be English.

In addition, while debates about the Cross of St George flag have become more “contested and polarised”, context, including where and why a flag is flown, make a difference to people’s perceptions.

Six in ten people said they would like to be able to fly an England flag without appearing to support the far right, and 79 per cent supported the Cross of St George being flown in public for St George’s Day.

British Future said that England has “many sources of potential pride”: “There is much to celebrate, and we should have the confidence to invite everyone here to join the party. Because pride can unite England today in a way that prejudice never could.”

‘For England and Saint George’

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