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During the celebrations of St George's Day, a Nottingham councillor sparked a lively discussion by questioning the English heritage of the saint, which led to a spirited disagreement with a former MP. While St George has been celebrated in England for centuries, his narrative is intertwined with Middle Eastern history, a nuance often eclipsed by modern-day nationalism and tensions.
A Nottingham city councillor has sparked fresh debate on St George's Day by pointing out what historians have long noted but politicians rarely say aloud: the patron saint of England had no natural connection to England at all.
Kirsty L Jones, a Nottingham People's Alliance councillor, told GB News that St George was "born in Palestine to a Palestinian mother and a Syrian father, spent most of his life in Syria and then was killed in Palestine." She went further, linking the occasion to the war in Gaza and arguing the day should serve as a reminder of Palestinian lives. Her remarks drew swift pushback from former Attorney General Sir Michael Ellis, who told GB News that England's adoption of St George has nothing to do with present-day Palestinian identity, and that the saint is more accurately traced to what is now Turkey.The exchange landed on a day when Nottingham's Council House was draped in a 60-foot St George's Cross, said to be the largest such flag on public display anywhere in the country.
April 23 and the truth behind St George
April 23 arrives without much ceremony. No bank holiday, no global momentum, no particular build-up. And yet the date carries real weight in more places than most people realise. What is recalled on this day is not simply an individual but a knot of history, faith and a myth that refused to stay in one place.
Most historians place St George in the 3rd century, a soldier in the Roman Empire thought to have been born in what is now Turkey. He is believed to have died in the region of modern-day Israel or Palestine after refusing to renounce his Christian faith during a period of active persecution. That refusal made him a martyr. The date of his execution is generally held to have been April 23.Had the story ended there, he would have remained a relatively obscure religious figure.
It did not end there. Centuries after his death, the legend shifted shape. George became the man who slew a dragon. There is no historical basis for it. But the image was durable: a lone figure on horseback, facing something dangerous, coming out on top. Simple enough to travel and powerful enough to stick.By the Middle Ages, the story had moved across Europe. Churches took his name. Different countries began to fold him into their own traditions.
England was not first. England's formal claim to St George as patron saint came around 1552, late by comparison to many others. His association with England had begun building during the Crusades, when English soldiers encountered the saint's story in the Middle East and the image of a warrior figure took root.
King Edward III had declared him patron saint by the 14th century and the red cross became a national symbol.
For a time, April 23 was one of the bigger days in the English calendar. That intensity faded. Today it is not a public holiday. Flags go up, small events take place, and some communities mark it with food and music. But the scale is modest compared to what it once was.
A legacy beyond nations
What is easy to overlook is how many other places have an equal or older claim to St George. Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia, Ukraine, Malta and Ethiopia all count him among their patron saints.
So do the cities of Moscow and Beirut. He is patron saint of Lebanese, Palestinian and Syrian Christians. Councillor Jones noted all of this in her remarks, arguing that many Nottingham residents may share the saint across entirely different backgrounds.The Nottingham councillor's remarks drew broad criticism. Sir Michael Ellis argued that the English have much to celebrate in their own right and that the history of the name "Palestine" itself is complicated, tracing back to a Roman renaming of the land after suppressing a Jewish revolt in 135 AD.Nottingham City Council leader Neghat Khan said the city would "continue to fly it with pride on days of national celebration."Jones herself said she does not consider the day "particularly important" but acknowledged that anything bringing communities together is worthwhile. What the row highlights, perhaps unintentionally, is how unsettled the story of St George has always been. He was never only English. The legend moved freely across centuries and borders long before it settled on a red cross and an April date in England's calendar.
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