Gary Neville was right to raise concerns about “angry, middle-aged white men” sowing division in society, the minister responsible for community relations has said.
Faith and communities minister Miatta Fahnbulleh hit out at people “trying to stoke tension” after former England footballer Neville said he had pulled down a Union flag from one of his property developments in Manchester.
The ex-Manchester United defender said it was not right for the flag to be used in a “negative fashion”.
In a social media post in the wake of the synagogue attack in Crumpsall, Manchester, Neville hit out at increased levels of division in society.
He said: “We’re all being turned on each other and the division that’s being created is absolutely disgusting, mainly created by angry, middle-aged white men who know exactly what they’re doing.”
Asked if Neville had a point, Ms Fahnbulleh said: “I think he’s really right, that there are people who are trying to divide us at the moment.”
She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “We’ve seen this playbook before. Life is really tough for people across our communities.
“I spent a lot of time going around our communities, talking to people. People are ground down.
“We’ve had a decade-and-a-half in which living standards haven’t budged and people have seen their communities held down.
“And you will get people trying to stoke division, trying to blame others, trying to stoke tension.”
Neville’s comments followed the attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue which was carried out by Jihad Al-Shamie.
Put to her that the attack was not carried out by an “angry, middle-aged white man”, Ms Fahbulleh said: “We are seeing a division, and it’s not concentrated in any particular group.
“We’re seeing it across all communities, but the vast majority of people are decent, tolerant, welcoming people that do not want this in their name.
“And the thing that we have to do as a Government is absolutely target those that are deliberately stoking division, tension and hatred, and root that out.
“And at the same time, we’ve got to do the job of bridging our communities.”
In his post on LinkedIn, Neville said: “On one of my development sites last week, there was a Union Jack flag put up, and I took it down instantly.
“And some people might be watching this and thinking ‘well, Gary you’re not very patriotic’. I played for my country 85 times. I love my country. I love Manchester and I love England.
“But I’ve been building in this city for 15-20 years, and there’s no one put a Union Jack flag up in the last 15-20 years so why do you need to put one up now?
“Because quite clearly, it’s sending a message to everybody that there is something you don’t like. The Union Jack flag being used in a negative fashion is not right.”
He suggested the vote to leave the European Union had fuelled division and called for a return to being “a country of love and peace and harmony and become a team again”.
Neville added: “Brexit has had a devastating impact on this country, and the messaging is getting dangerous, extremely dangerous.
“All these idiots that are out there spreading hate speech in any form and abuse in any form, we must stop promoting them.”
