A GB News guest raged against the “anti-British” sentiment flooding the nation as swathes of the country hit out at flying the Union Jack flag and St George’s cross as racist.
Cultural historian Dr Philip Kiszely came out in ardent defence of the patriotic move after Blue Peter broadcaster Richard Bacon said that flying the flag means “you prefer Britain to be more white”.
Asked if Mr Bacon was right, the historian rather incredulously told GB News’ Dawn Neesom: “Of course he’s not. How can it be racist to to wave your own flag in your own country?
“If they’re being honest, I don’t think anyone believes that at all. I think something’s happening here. It’s not about race. It’s not about racism. It’s not about being white or any of that.
“It’s really a struggle for cultural dominance. It’s really all about power, isn’t it?”
“It’s really about the cultural war in this country, which is people who want a sense of Englishness, who respect our heritage and our history and who we are as a nation and what we’ve done as a nation, versus the extreme hard left and the Islamist lobby that want to change and want and want to take over and are hostile what we are as a nation,” he explained.
Dr Kiszely dubbed Tower Hamlets in London a “country within a country”, saying it was “festooned” in Palestinian flags “immediately after” October 7, 2023.
In March the following year, the council ordered the removal of the flags from the east London borough.
The historian added: “So there’s something there that is really telling, isn’t it?
“And that flag has become a kind of proxy. It means much more than the fantasy state of Palestine. It’s about the country.”
Essentially, he said the debate centres on the two flags versus “another flag that represents anti-Britishness, hatred of Britain, antisemitism, misogyny, homophobia, and all of those things”.
Kicking off around mid-July, Operation Raise the Colours has seen swathes of the nation looking to plaster all sorts of public places with the Union Jack and St George’s cross.
Dawn first asked the historian for his view on the matter
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Since, a slew of councils have ordered the flags to be taken down.
While plenty of patriotic Britons view the flags as a physical manifestation of national pride, others have increasingly linked the flags with anti-immigration protests across the country – deeming the flag a racist symbol.
Railing against the historian, Femi Nylander slammed his words as “nonsense”, adding: “He’s wearing a pin on his chest at the moment, which represents solidarity with Israel. So he understands the concept of wearing something that represents a another nation.
“Of course, people can represent and can display their solidarity with people undergoing a genocide at the moment by flying a Palestinian flag.”
The guests took part in the vivacious debate live on GB News
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GB NEWS
However, when it comes to the British flag, he pointed out, he said it was “understandable” why some would view the flag negatively.
“Britain ran an empire which basically colonised half to a third of the world’s population,” Mr Nylander added.
“It’s completely understandable why someone whose ancestors were enslaved by Britain or were colonised by Britain wouldn’t see the Union Jack in the same way that you might, and even even the Irish,” he added.
During the Troubles, he said, the Irish dubbed the Union Jack “The Butcher’s Apron”.