Reform’s calls for Sky Sports to sack Neville failed
Football legend Gary Neville has slammed angry middle-aged white men for fuelling division in the UK.
Following the Manchester Synagogue attack last Thursday, Neville posted a video calling the division being created in the UK “absolutely disgusting”.
Neville said: “When I was driving to Salford City last night, going down Littleton Road, seeing probably 50 or 60 Union Jack flags. And on the way back I went down the parallel road, Bury New Road, which has got the Jewish community right at its heart, and they’re out on the streets, defiant, not hiding or in fear.”
The former England and Manchester United footballer 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.”
Neville said that he had removed a Union Jack flag at on one of his development sites last week.
He added: “The Union Jack flag being used in a negative fashion is not right and I’m a proud supporter of England, of Great Britain, of our country and will champion it anywhere in the world as one of the greatest places to live.”
Neville said that Brexit had had a “devastating impact” on the country and that the messaging is getting “extremely dangerous”.
He ended by saying: “All these idiots that are out there spreading hate speech in any form, and abuse in any form, we must stop promoting them. We must stop elevating our voices towards them.
“It needs to stop now and get back to a country of love, peace and harmony and become a team again.”
Reform politicians were rattled by Neville’s video and came out in force to call on Sky Sports to sack him from his broadcasting role.
Nigel Farage posted a video yesterday, claiming Neville was “blaming middle-aged white men, the people who actually pay for Sky Sports, pay his salary, not some evil crazed mad Islamist who went out to kill innocent people.”
Speaking to Jeremy Kyle on TalkTV, Reform MP Sarah Pochin said Neville “should be really ashamed of himself” for condemning the divisive use of the Union Jack.
Lee Anderson MP said: “I believe in free speech but on this occasion, just shut up. You are completely out of touch.”
Ex-footballer and right-wing commentator Joey Barton also had a meltdown over Neville’s comments.
One X user wrote: “Joey Barton is the angry middle-aged white man that Gary Neville was on about. That’s why he’s rattled.”
Another said: “Gary Neville shows that even if all you do is spit facts the Right who ‘love Free Speech’ will still do everything they can to cancel you. But they failed.”
Despite the Right’s calls for Sky Sports to sack Neville, it hasn’t worked. The channel has confirmed it will not be taking any action against him.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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