Campaigners fresh plea to curb use of flag on eve of World Cup

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Wednesday, June 02, 2010
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This is Cornwall

Campaigners have made a fresh appeal to supermarkets to limit using English flags in World Cup marketing – through fears it will upset the Cornish.

Prominent Cornish nationalists say the St George's flag represents "hatred, persecution, domination and occupation" to Cornish people, and have urged companies to "be sensitive".

Colin Roberts, secretary of Bewnans Kernow, an umbrella organisation representing the cultural organisations of Cornwall, has made a renewed plea to Tesco to act before the start of the World Cup, in just over a week's time.

The letter reads: "We are not English and do not consider ourselves to be English.

"History will show that England has treated Cornwall with contempt for daring to be different. Indeed, during the Civil War, Cornwall at times fought both sides in the war as it waged its own war of independence.

"We are not calling for a total ban, just some measure and proportion in recognition of the deep distress that this time is causing us."

In his letter, Mr Roberts, who is also administrator for the Cornish Gorsedd, said he would be supporting Australia "as the most Cornish side in the event".

His calls for action come three weeks after an internet campaign was launched to ban England flags from sale in the county.

Michael Chappell, secretary of the Cornish Branch of the Celtic League, said the Cornish branch had "received many complaints about the oncoming flood of St George flags into our country", something he said was "quite insulting" to some.

The Celtic League has also backed Mr Roberts's latest appeal to supermarket giant Tesco.

Bernard Moffatt, director of information at the Celtic League, said: "Yes, there is some quite rabid opposition to the flags in some quarters, but Mr Roberts is not saying there should be a total ban. He is merely calling for some sensitivity.

"I can't imagine that supermarkets will be using St George's flags in their stores in Scotland and Wales and parts of Ireland, so why is Cornwall any different?"

Mr Roberts said he has received hate mail for his role in the campaign, and said that the letter to Tesco was meant to be private.

He said he wrote it as an individual rather than on behalf of Bewnans Kernow or the Gorsedd.

In it, Mr Roberts describes how Cornwall is "distinctive" from England in a number of ways, including geographically, linguistically and constitutionally.

Explaining his comments to the WMN, Mr Roberts said: "At every aspect of our culture we are fundamentally distinctive.

"I am not calling for an outright ban on selling the flags, I just think we should have the right to go into a shop without being bombarded with St George's flags."

Tesco spokesman David Nieberg said the supermarket would not comment about Mr Roberts' letter.

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203 Comments

  • Profile image for This is Cornwall

    by Steadkitten, UK

    Thursday, June 10 2010, 3:15PM

    “Good to see more and more St George's Flags popping up in Cornwall's towns. It is clear to see that England has a good following west of the Tamar. Come on England.”

  • Profile image for This is Cornwall

    by Paddy Trembath, Praa Sands

    Thursday, June 10 2010, 9:07AM

    “P. Lemon, Penryn wrote:-
    "To SarahJ,

    "separatist bombers such as a case in Brittany"

    I'm loathe to help you as you're obviously a difficult case to help, but if you're gonna dig, then dig properly (then hopefully jump in).

    Funny how the case in Dinan, Brittany went very quiet, before a former member of the French secret services was done for that crime! Nothing to do with the Bretons or their nationalists.

    Just as nothing was done when the French secret service burned down the parliament building in Rennes (holding a huge number of unique archives), claiming quickly that it must've been an electrical fault !

    SarahJ, you ma girl, are a walking, talking google.

    Amazing (how you bring up loads of unrelated, half-baked garbage, at the push of a button...to serve your own ignorant ends) "
    Truth is not something that sits well with this persons agenda. In the past, this person has claimed that MK plan to peruse a policy of ethnic cleansing if they get in to power. This person has also claimed to be a QC, apparently researching for a big case against the "nasty nats" that this person so despises.
    You can point out the falsehoods in this persons arguments to them, but they will keep on repeating those same falsehoods time and time again, obviously in the hope that there are those out there who, just like this person, are also not interested in the truth.
    This person will also be rude, insulting and abusive to those that they wish to discredit, the "Cornats" or "nasty nats", and consider such behaviour perfectly acceptable, but will cry "foul" if any of this persons chosen targets retaliate.
    In short, this person is not a nice person.”

  • Profile image for This is Cornwall

    by Mike Chappell, Kernow

    Wednesday, June 09 2010, 11:28PM

    “My attention has been re drawn back to this comments page by an Editor of a magazine who has asked me to write an article for the magazine she edits based on the remarks recorded hereunder.

    I have been amused to read the many and various remarks and of course, it has been my pleasure to write such an article. I have been accused of so many things and of being so many different people in so many different places though, it does get confusing.

    I have also written to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) with whom I have been in contact this past year, along with other elected representatives and others about the level of abuse endured by the Cornish people.

    That said, I do meet many others, MP¿s, Councillors, campaigners and so on and I enjoy doing so very much indeed.

    I would like to assure you that the comment below wherein my declared height of 6¿ 3¿ is thought to be a threat is nothing of the sort. I was merely responding to an earlier comment where I was accused of being a little man.

    I am a Cornish Nationalist and I am not afraid to say as much. Many posters here, writing under assumed names and doubtless writing under many different names, can make of that what they will. They can rant and rave, write column inches, ridicule me and hurl abuse at me but it will matter not a jot. I have received the most unpleasant and vitriolic death threats and treated them equally, retaining them as evidence of course but never allowing them to deflect me from my beliefs.

    I was elected by the membership of the Celtic League in Kernow to stand as Secretary and so I fulfil this role to the very best of my abilities. If you would like to read of the aims and objectives of the Celtic League, I invite you to visit the website now and have a read of them.

    I have witnessed a lot of violence in my lifetime and had my life threatened and looked down the wrong end of a barrel of a gun. Many years ago, I met up with the Queen and Prince Phillip in Buckingham Palace to pick up an award so I can assure all those who like to be keyboard warriors that I am not concerned in the slightest. Oh, by the way, I had the greatest of pleasure in telling the Royal Couple of my view on Kernow as well.

    Formed in 1961 on the back of the pan Celtic revival of the late 1890¿s, the Celtic League in Kernow continues to flourish. Indeed, this issue has drawn many more members and membership enquiries I am told by our Membership Secretary. It is formed of many different people, Cornish, English, Welsh, Scottish, Asian, Black, Americans, male and female. All support the campaign which was discussed before we embarked on it.

    We were actually approached by many people and an organisation about the issue before we took the matter up. Since then, for every comment here, there have been many more received by ourselves and other organisations in support of what we have said. I have also received a few death threats as well but as indicated previously, they don¿t concern me although have been retained on file.

    Now, you can all say what you like, within the confines of the law and the rules of this site, but nothing you record here will convince me of any other than the fact that Cornwall is a Celtic Nation (read the definition of Nation) and that it is recognised as such by many. Some members of the League do record what is written here though as a matter of record. It is easily and simply done.

    I do not support the England football team nor will I support the flying of a foreign flag in Cornwall in support of the England team, no more than it would be supported in Wales or Scotland. For those who do support the England team, I am informed that it is ranked 8th in world terms so I would strongly suggest that you don¿t hold your breath for an inordinate amount of time. That said, if England wins, my views will remain unchanged.

    I have seen enough of the comments on here to have confirmed to me the fact that the En”

  • Profile image for This is Cornwall

    by P. Lemon, Penryn

    Wednesday, June 09 2010, 6:41PM

    “To SarahJ,

    "separatist bombers such as a case in Brittany"

    I'm loathe to help you as you're obviously a difficult case to help, but if you're gonna dig, then dig properly (then hopefully jump in).

    Funny how the case in Dinan, Brittany went very quiet, before a former member of the French secret services was done for that crime! Nothing to do with the Bretons or their nationalists.

    Just as nothing was done when the French secret service burned down the parliament building in Rennes (holding a huge number of unique archives), claiming quickly that it must've been an electrical fault !

    SarahJ, you ma girl, are a walking, talking google.

    Amazing (how you bring up loads of unrelated, half-baked garbage, at the push of a button...to serve your own ignorant ends)”

  • Profile image for This is Cornwall

    by P. Lemon, Penryn

    Wednesday, June 09 2010, 6:29PM

    “To (proud) Cromwellian, Cornwallshire

    "To differentiate between what we refer to as Cornish nationalists (though we have to accept most are spotty Celtic trouble makers) and the BNP would be impossible, both use fanatical falsification of both our history and culture."

    Please help me here; what exactly are 'Celtic trouble makers' ?

    "fanatical falsification of both our history and culture."

    No. State-sponsored falsification of our history.

    The B*P don't understand history and don't have culture; ask their members Salt. gary and Big Geraldine.

    "Both divide on race and place of birth."

    False. I don't care what race you are and where you're born. Complete fallacy, in your attempt to scaremonger.

    The B*P don't pretend to be racist. They are.

    "The attempts to link Cornwall with Scotland and Wales can never work as one is not a country."

    The link is already there, oh, and by the way, Cornwall is a Duchy. Please read the hundreds of posts on here that say this!!

    I signed for a dissolved assembly, not for independence. I thought that's what thousands of others did too, including every Cornish MP.

    Get your facts right, please.”

  • Profile image for This is Cornwall

    by SarahJ, Cornwall

    Wednesday, June 09 2010, 1:24PM

    “http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/news/aggression-just-xenophobia/article-2282510-detail/article.html

    He has been involved in Celtic League since 1999, where his work has mainly revolved around protesting infavour of separatist bombers such as a case in Brittany, France

    rhisiart-tal-e-bot”

  • Profile image for This is Cornwall

    by Joy, Kernow

    Wednesday, June 09 2010, 11:03AM

    “Also alarmed to hear on the BBC that the police are warning than assaults and so on increase by 70% when England is playing in the world cup. A real comment I feel.”

  • Profile image for This is Cornwall

    by Calmer Waters, The Celtic Nation And Duchy Of Cornwall

    Wednesday, June 09 2010, 10:59AM

    “Cromwellian

    You misrepresent other contributors to these comments and you misrepresent the facts which are really quite simple:

    Devolved greater self-government for The Celtic Nation And Duchy Cornwall along the lines of that enjoyed by Wales and Scotland is entirely credible, warranted, sought by significant individuals right across the political spectrum and taken seriously at the heart of the UK Government. It's only a matter of time.

    http://www.cornishassembly.org/.

    Calmer Waters has not expressed any 'hate'.

    Calmer Waters has no association or involvement with The Celtic League.

    Calmer Waters has smooth unblemished skin!”

  • Profile image for This is Cornwall

    by Joy, Kernow

    Wednesday, June 09 2010, 10:58AM

    “Cromwellian - whatever that is ?

    Why do you insist on writing Cornwallshire ? No such place ever existed. Is it your English sense of superiority perhaps ?

    I support Mr Roberts, Mr Chappell and Mr Sanders although I have voted Lib Dem for the hope of an assembly.

    Fingers crossed for the USA on Saturday.”

  • Profile image for This is Cornwall

    by Cromwellian, Cornwallshire

    Wednesday, June 09 2010, 10:47AM

    “Why do you want to drag everyone down to the bottom of the pond with you Calmer Waters\PJ. You can not discuss in a civil manner then don¿t but please accept nobody finds you funny, well funny is a comical manner that is. Show respect for others and you just might receive some in return at the moment you come across as hate filled spotty Celtic troll living under a bridge seeking a fight rather than manner a valid contribution to the debate

    1% of people living in cornwall are members of the Celtic league and that is going to keep dropping the more comments you make Mike. These links are meaningless without support of the people.”

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