St George an icon of multiculturalism, freedom and dissent

I had hoped to post this yesterday, on St George's Day... I found this excellent piece by Peter Tatchell:

Rebel against Roman tyranny

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

"It is time we ditched the myths surrounding St George and celebrated the reality of his courageous life.

"He doesn't belong to the far right. He represents multiculturalism and 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 probably Palestinian. He rebelled against the Roman Emperor Diocletian and was executed for opposing the persecution of Christians by the Romans.

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

"St George's parentage embodies multiculturalism and his life expresses the values of English liberalism and dissent," said Mr Tatchell.