Die-hard England fan branded 'racist' for draping St George's flags across home

Hannah Kane & James Pallant & Jon Macpherson

17 June 2024 at 6:24 am·2-min read

A die-hard England fan has been branded a 'racist' for covering home in St George's flags.

Martin Baker has adorned his house with patriotic decorations as Euro 2024 kicks off. The committed bricklayer has even painted his driveway red and white in support of Harry Kane and the team, following their initial group stage win over Serbia.

However, when pictures of his flag-covered home appeared on social media, some critics labelled the display as racist, associating the St George's flag with racial prejudice. The 50 year old responded: "There were some nasty comments with people saying things like, 'You're National Front' and 'What universal credit do you claim?'"

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The father-of-three remains unfazed, adding: "I've done this loads of times - every time the Euros or the World Cup is on all the flags go up. I love England and I went one step further this year and painted the driveway myself with the flag. I've even been trying to get a huge flag for the roof but I can't find one.

"The neighbours don't seem to mind, and people are always stopping to take photos outside with all the flags."

Addressing the negative remarks, he commented: "I just laughed it off. I put the flags up for a bit of fun. At the end of the day, I live in England, I'm in England, I'm England through and through and I'll fly the English flag if I want to."

Mr Baker, a lifelong supporter of the national team who even has the Three Lions badge tattooed on his chest, travelled to Portugal to watch England play in the 2004 Euros, the Express reports. This year, he plans to enjoy the action at the pub with some friends over a few beers and is optimistic about the team's chances.

He said: "I reckon we could go all the way. We have a good young side with some experience as well." Martin added: "So long as we make it through the group stages, I think we've got a great chance."

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Die-hard England fan branded 'racist' for draping St George's flags across home

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