🔗 Share this article Retired footballer The Sky Sports commentator explains he removed a Union Jack being 'employed in a divisive way'. Gary Neville has revealed that he personally removed a Union Jack from one of his Manchester development sites because it was being "employed in a divisive manner," as he encouraged his audience to question what it means to be a proud citizen. A Video Message In a social media video shared Friday, the sports pundit and developer said he believed that "people are being pitted against one another," laying a great deal of the fault for the rift on "angry, middle-aged white men … who know exactly what they’re doing|who are fully aware of their actions|who understand the consequences of their behavior}." Contrasting Streets He described driving down a road in Salford, and seeing "dozens of British flags" on that part of his route. He then juxtaposed this against his trip home through the parallel road, a different main road, where the Jewish community were "out in the streets, defiant, not hiding or in fear." A Decisive Move The pundit, who has developed a large property portfolio in Manchester since leaving professional football in 2011, said he had removed a union flag being flown on a development property. "Funnily enough on one of my development sites last week there was a British flag hoisted and I took it down instantly," he said. Defining National Pride "Some people might be watching this and thinking: 'Neville, you don't love your country.' I represented my nation on 85 occasions, I love my country, I adore Manchester and I love England," he affirmed. The 50-year-old, said that in the time he has been developing in the city, he had not observed Union Jacks at the present frequency and pondered the reason for this increase. "The British flag employed in a harmful manner is unacceptable and I’m a proud supporter of the nation, of the United Kingdom, of this country and will defend it internationally as one of the greatest places to live," he stated. An Appeal for Self-Assessment "Yet, I feel it is crucial we reflect," he added, "reflect and begin considering about restoring a sense of equilibrium because we’re being pulled right and left and there is no need for such polarization." Past Political Views The television pundit has often shared his views on societal and political matters, including that people should “detest” the poor working conditions for overseas laborers in Qatar and health service workers in the United Kingdom. Diversity in Sports In his social media footage, Neville reflected on the diversity of football, saying that he teammates hailed from all over Britain and from internationally. "We were a beautiful team, united as one," he recalled. Post-Brexit Impact He said he attributed fault to Brexit for its "harmful impact" on the country, and said the "rhetoric" of discord was becoming "profoundly risky." "These foolish individuals that are propagating abusive language in any form and mistreatment in all its forms, it is vital we no longer amplify them," he emphasized. "We must stop elevating our voices towards them and this must end immediately and get back to a country of love, of tranquility, of accord and function as a cohesive unit again."