The St George’s cross must not be used to “intimidate others”, Church of England (CofE) bishops have warned amid the growing use of Christian symbols by the far right.
Seven leading bishops, including Bishop of Leicester Martyn Snow, have called for England’s national flag to be a “symbol of unity” and criticised those “seeking to sow division and misunderstanding” by using the flag as a symbol of anti-migrant sentiment.
A trend for hoisting St George’s flags began last summer, driven by a group called “Raise the Colours” who were backed by far-right figures including Tommy Robinson.
The St George’s cross, the union flag, and wooden crosses were also prominent features of Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom nationalist march, which attracted up to 150,000 people to London in September last year.
The UK Independence Party (Ukip), which has become increasingly focused on Christian nationalism under new leader Nick Tenconi, has also used a symbol of a cross in their new party logo, which has been compared with the Iron Cross used by the Nazi Party.
The party, which had a previous yellow and purple pound emblem as its logo, has denied that the symbol is an Iron Cross, instead insisting it is a Cross Pattée, a Christian symbol.
Both Ukip leader Mr Tenconi and members of Raise the Colours have made trips to northern France to intimidate refugees living destitute there.
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In a lengthy statement issued on Sunday, seven CofE bishops from across the country said: “We reject the use of Christian symbols by those who seek to use them to intimidate others. Sadly, in recent months, we have seen these symbols used by people who, far from working for unity in the nation, are seeking to sow division and misunderstanding.
“This leaves many in our society feeling anxious and afraid and is a long way from loving our neighbour in the way that Jesus taught.”
The bishops, among them Arun Arora (Kirkstall), Toby Howarth (Bradford) and Michael Volland (Birmingham), said that they “rejoice that the flag of St George is the national flag of England and contains a cross as a sign of our Christian heritage”, but warned that “the flag cannot be owned by any one group or cause”.
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They acknowledged that “many in our communities are concerned by both the perception and realities of the issues of migration” and said churches can be places where different views on immigration are “listened to with respect and empathy”.
They warned that their congregations have shared “expressions of concern from those who feel threatened by those who seek to blame migrants as the main cause for economic and other challenges”.
The statement, also from the London bishops of Barking, Croydon and Willesden, continues: “We have seen this spill over into racist abuse and violence and acknowledge the fear and unease expressed by those who have felt less safe in their own communities and workplaces in recent months.”
Their intervention comes after the Bishop of Manchester hit out at fake claims that “Christmas was cancelled” at the end of last year.
Church of England issues ‘Christmas is for all’ message ahead of Tommy Robinson carols rally">Writing in The Independent, the Right Reverend David Walker said it was “offensive” that people were “appropriating this great Christian festival of light triumphing over darkness as a prop in a dim culture war”.
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