The flag of St George will not be flying over Radstock any time soon after town councillors decided it was inappropriate because of its links with campaigns against Islam hundreds of years ago.
The town council decided to not to buy a St George’s flag after a discussion about repairs to the civic flagpole to ensure a Union Jack could be flown on Armistice Day.
Councillor Eleanor Jackson (Lab, Radstock), a university lecturer and teacher, said its use during the Crusades of the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries could mean the English national flag could be seen by some as offensive.

Nasima Begum, a spokeswoman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said it encouraged the flying of the St George’s flag.
She said: “St George needs to take his rightful place as a national symbol of inclusivity rather than a symbol of hatred. St George actually lived before the birth of Islam and should not be associated with any hatred of Muslims.”