St GEORGE - MULTICULTURAL ICON

Rebel against Roman tyranny

Human rights defender

London – 23 April 2007

“St George's Day should be a national holiday in England . We should celebrate St George as a symbol of English freedom, dissent and multiculturalism,” says human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell .

“It is time we ditched the myths surrounding St George and celebrated the truth about his courageous life.

“He doesn't belong to the far right. He represents rebellion against tyranny.

“St George wasn't white or English. He was a rebel from the Middle East . His father was Turkish and his mother Palestinian. He rebelled against the Roman Emperor Diocletian and was executed for opposing the persecution of Christians by the Romans.

“An early defender of human rights, he is a heroic symbol of protest and the right to freedom of belief and expression.

“St George embodies the values of English liberalism and dissent,” said Mr Tatchell.