Bishops Blast Flag Weaponisation: Church Leaders Say St George's Cross Being Used to Intimidate Ethnic Minorities

Church of England Bishops Warn Against Using St George's Cross to Target Ethnic Minorities in Immigration Debate

Seven Church of England bishops have issued a joint statement calling on the public to reclaim the St George's Cross as a "symbol of unity" rather than a tool of division against ethnic minorities.

The statement, published in February 2026, was led by Bishop Martyn Snow of Leicester and included the Bishop of Kirkstall Arun Arora, the Bishop of Birmingham Michael Volland, and the bishops of Barking, Bradford, Croydon, and Willesden. The group was established by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to address questions of national unity amid growing societal polarisation.

The bishops' intervention comes in response to the "Operation Raise the Colours" campaign, which began in the summer of 2025 in Birmingham and spread across England. St George's flags and Union Jacks were hoisted onto lampposts, bridges, and street signs as symbols of English identity.

The cross cannot be owned by any one group or cause, rather it is a symbol of unity, inclusion and our common life.

Critics of the campaign have pointed out that many of the flag displays were clustered near asylum hotels, turning them into signals of exclusion and intimidation. A YouGov poll conducted in October 2025 found that 52% of ethnic minority adults and 36% of white adults now view the England flag as a racist symbol.

The campaign has drawn support from members of Reform UK, the Conservative Party, and has also been backed by far right groups including Britain First and anti Islam campaigner Tommy Robinson.

Bishop Snow, who has been vocal on immigration since his maiden House of Lords speech in 2022, called for "honest and constructive public debate" on immigration while rejecting "rhetoric that dehumanises vulnerable people fleeing violence or persecution."

Unfortunately, I have not received a reply to my letter.

This was Bishop Snow's response after inviting Reform UK leader Nigel Farage to observe local church refugee support work firsthand. Farage had accused bishops of having "a rather twisted view" of public opinion and being "out of touch" on border control.

The bishops are now developing resources for churches to celebrate St George's Day in April as a unifying occasion for all people in England.

UK Bishops Confront Flag Controversy as Immigration Tensions Escalate Across England

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has also entered the debate, announcing a Cultural and Integration Commission focused on assimilation into existing British culture. Meanwhile, the bishops have stressed that churches should serve as "spaces where different responses to immigration can be listened to with respect and dignity."

The Crusader's Opinion

Let me be blunt. The Cross of St George is the cross of a Christian martyr. It belongs to Christ and His people. It does not belong to politicians, populists, or any movement that uses it to terrorise the vulnerable.

But here is the uncomfortable truth these bishops are dancing around: when your own government imports hundreds of thousands of people with no plan for integration, no concern for community cohesion, and no regard for the Christian culture that built these nations, you cannot be shocked when ordinary people fly their own flag in protest.

The real weaponisation is not the flag. It is the silence of church leaders who spent decades watching Christianity erode across Britain while saying nothing. Now they suddenly find their voice to lecture working class Englishmen about patriotism? Where was this energy when churches were being closed and converted into mosques? Where was the outrage when Christians were told their faith was "offensive" in their own country?

Christians must reject both the hatred that targets innocent minorities AND the cowardice that refuses to defend Christendom. Fly the Cross of St George with pride. And demand that your bishops stand for something more than applause from the BBC.

Take Action

• Contact the Church of England's national office to share your views on the bishops' statement and the role of churches in the immigration debate: churchofengland.org/contact-us
• Support persecuted Christians and refugees through www.TheShepherdsShield.org, providing direct aid to those fleeing violence and persecution worldwide
• Donate to Open Doors UK to support Christians facing persecution across the globe, many of whom are the very refugees at the centre of this debate
• Write to your local Member of Parliament about the need for both compassionate refugee policy and the protection of Britain's Christian heritage. Find your MP at members.parliament.uk
• Attend your local church's St George's Day celebration in April and help reclaim the cross as a symbol of Christian faith, not political division