Diane Abbott calls for new British patriotism

29 Jul 2011
With one year to go to Olympics, Hackney MP says that the Norway shootings and focus on English far-right groups should not discourage people across Britain from flying the flag

Diane Abbott MP, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington and Shadow Health Minister, is calling for a modern and inclusive British patriotism, following a renewed public focus on groups like the English Defence League.

Ms Abbott said that a renewal in British patriotism was important ahead of London 20-12:

‘We have worked hard to bring the Olympics to Britain. Our most compelling argument was our multiculturalism, the idea that London was ‘a world in one city.’ It should be a time in which we showcase what Britain, and London, is about to the rest of the world.

‘There is a lot of excitement and anticipation growing, and we all want to cheer on our top British athletes like Tom Daley. We need to show the world what Britain is about in the 21st century. We need to show that you can be both proud of being British, and inclusive of other cultures all at the same time.

‘It is really important that people feel proud to fly the British flag. There should be no stigma about it. We know other countries will be flying their flags.’

Ms Abbott also expressed concern about the public spotlight being given to groups like the English Defence League, following Anders Breivik’s alleged links to them:

‘I had a personal brush with the EDL when I had to leave a public meeting in Nottingham by the backdoor because the EDL was camped outside waiting. The EDL are violent racists and islamaphobes. This is emphatically not what modern British patriotism is about.’

-ENDS- 

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