Posted on 10/04/2005 9:54:28 AM PDT by Mount Athos
British prison officers who wore a St. George's Cross tie-pin have been ticked off by the jails watchdog over concerns about the symbol's racist connotations.
The pins showing the English flag -- which has often raised hackles due to its connection with the Crusades of the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries -- could be "misconstrued," Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers said in a section on race in a report on a jail in the northern English city of Wakefield.
The banner of St. George, the red cross of a martyr on a white background, was adopted for the uniform of English soldiers during the military expeditions by European powers to recapture the Holy Land from Muslims, and later became the national flag of England.
A section on race relations in Owers' report said: "We were concerned to see a number of staff wearing a flag of St. George tie-pin.
"While we were told that these had been bought in support of a cancer charity there was clear scope for misinterpretation, and Prison Service Orders made clear that unauthorized badges and pins should not be worn."
As one of her formal recommendations Owers said: "Staff should not wear unauthorized badges or pins."
Chris Doyle, director of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding, said Tuesday the red cross was an insensitive reminder of the Crusades.
"Muslim or Arab prisoners could take umbrage if staff wore a red cross badge. It's also got associations with the far-right. Prison officers should be seen to be neutral."
Doyle added that it was now time for England to find a new flag and a patron saint who is "not associated with our bloody past and one we can all identify with."
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
MY RESPONSE---OH PUH LEEZE----PLUS ONE BIG FAT OY VAY
Who's really in jail, eh?
The Union Jack!.......Is nothing sacred anymore?...... The Stars and Stripes of Old Glory are next on their agenda!..........
Pinging MadIvan!
OK, I'm going to say this as delicately as possible: Islamic crooks should put a hinge on their _____s and go ____ themselves.
Phew. Feel better now.
These Muslim dweebs need to find another planet.
Oh, get stuffed.
Okay, 1/3 of a Union Jack!.......
"These Muslim dweebs need to find another planet."
If the English keep on the path they and the French and the Dutch are, and if we do not stop CAIR in this country, THIS will be their planet!
The prisoners could take umbrage? The prisoners could take umbrage? Sheesh!
Doyle added that it was now time for England to find a new flag and a patron saint who is "not associated with our bloody past and one we can all identify with."
How about this one, pal?
And just dispense with that patron saint stuff
Yes, changing all that is British to suit the whims of a minority, one piece at a time. And Brit twits like Anne Owers rush to assist them, to expedite the process.
"Muslim or Arab prisoners could take umbrage if staff wore a red cross badge. It's also got associations with the far-right. Prison officers should be seen to be neutral."
If 'neutral' means anything but conservative. And, oh, boo hoo. It's prison not a posh hotel. I suppose it would be okay if it were a badge or symbol of something FAR LEFT.
Oh no, they're not out to change culture. They want to be separate. If they dislike the English flag so much, then why are they living in ENGLAND? Why worry so much about "their bloody past" when the Muslims are responsible for our bloody present. Just how much did England have to do with the Crusades anyway? (I'm a little weak in history.) And weren't there other countries involved? Should they all have to change their flags, too? These guys need to stop living in the past and get a life.
The red cross is the blood of the Christ from the crucifixion. It's a symbol of Redemption.
Everyone is afraid of the headcutters. That's the reason for all of the appeasement worldwide.
I was thinking along the lines of a place that reflects their philosophy...airless, bleak, unchanging, unforgiving, lifeless and turns into a cresent periodically.
Baby and bathwater have been abandoned. He wants to bend over and take it from prisoners. And toss out all that is British (as the flag is merely a beginning, a test case to see how far they can push it) to suit the whims of a minority, a minority with their own bloody PRESENT (not past), or doesn't Mr. Doyle read the papers?
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