Home Office civil servants in the UK were offered access to 11 different mental health support services after officials raised concerns about the display of the English flag, according to a leaked recording and internal correspondence.
The support was offered following a “safe space” meeting held for staff to discuss what an internal invitation described as the “concerning misuse of the English flag.” The meeting was hosted by Mark Leslie, a Home Office official and Civil Service diversity champion. During the meeting, which lasted around half an hour, officials described feeling anxious and unsafe in response to the campaign encouraging people to fly English flags, reports Steve Edgington.
One official said seeing the flag had caused him to question whether he and his family were in danger. “Am I in danger? Or are my children in danger?” the official said. “Right now… it is particularly triggering.” Another Home Office employee said the campaign had been difficult as a person of colour, claiming that the flag was increasingly being used to “legitimise refusing immigrants into the country.”
“Being a mixed race person of colour I’ve been finding it extremely difficult… I’ve noticed so many more people now using the flag to try and legitimise refusing immigrants into the country,” the official said.
An Indian civil servant also said: “I’m terrified of bringing a mixed race child into this world”.
Two officials who identified themselves as British Muslims said they could “feel the ‘vibes’ of hate when you walk the streets.” They also said “[the protests] leave me fearing for my safety and that of my family and friends.” Another ethnic minority official said the flag campaign had “caused… concern for my own safety and that of my family and friends”.
The internal email inviting staff to the meeting included information on 11 mental-health support services available to employees.
A white Home Office employee also expressed support for colleagues, saying: “It’s a scary time to be a person of colour in the UK right now, and as a person with white privilege, I can’t speak to my friends’ experiences but I can stand alongside you and be an ally.”
The support was offered following a “safe space” meeting held for staff to discuss what an internal invitation described as the “concerning misuse of the English flag.” The meeting was hosted by Mark Leslie, a Home Office official and Civil Service diversity champion. During the meeting, which lasted around half an hour, officials described feeling anxious and unsafe in response to the campaign encouraging people to fly English flags, reports Steve Edgington.
One official said seeing the flag had caused him to question whether he and his family were in danger. “Am I in danger? Or are my children in danger?” the official said. “Right now… it is particularly triggering.” Another Home Office employee said the campaign had been difficult as a person of colour, claiming that the flag was increasingly being used to “legitimise refusing immigrants into the country.”
“Being a mixed race person of colour I’ve been finding it extremely difficult… I’ve noticed so many more people now using the flag to try and legitimise refusing immigrants into the country,” the official said.
An Indian civil servant also said: “I’m terrified of bringing a mixed race child into this world”.
Two officials who identified themselves as British Muslims said they could “feel the ‘vibes’ of hate when you walk the streets.” They also said “[the protests] leave me fearing for my safety and that of my family and friends.” Another ethnic minority official said the flag campaign had “caused… concern for my own safety and that of my family and friends”.
The internal email inviting staff to the meeting included information on 11 mental-health support services available to employees.
A white Home Office employee also expressed support for colleagues, saying: “It’s a scary time to be a person of colour in the UK right now, and as a person with white privilege, I can’t speak to my friends’ experiences but I can stand alongside you and be an ally.”
