Gary Neville Makes Fresh Statement amid 'Angry White Men’ Backlash

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Gary Neville Makes Fresh Statement amid 'Angry White Men’ Backlash

The Sky Sports pundit was criticised for his comments following the Manchester terror attack

Gary Neville has seemingly issued a fresh statement after receiving criticism for comments he made about 'angry white men’ following the Manchester synagogue terror attack.

Last Thursday, Manchester was subject to a horrific attack outside a synagogue that killed two Jewish people and left three in a serious condition.

The victims were named as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, one of whom was fatally struck by police gunfire as officers shot the attacker.

The suspect, Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by police outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue after carrying out a car and knife attack.

Following the tragedy, Neville took to social media to share his reaction on what had happened and the current unrest throughout segments of British society.

While praising the Jewish community for their defiance, the pundit also condemned the 'angry, middle-aged white men' that he said were causing division within the country.

The former Manchester United captain then revealed that he taken down a Union Jack flag from one of his development sites amid the 'Operation Raise the Colours' movement which has seen Union flags and England flags hung from buildings and lampposts across the country.

Gary Neville. Image: James Gill - Danehouse / Contributor via Getty
Gary Neville. Image: James Gill - Danehouse / Contributor via Getty

Neville comments drew backlash from several political figures.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch labelled his actions "disgraceful", while Reform's Nigel Farage said he was "amazed" Sky Sports had not sacked him over the incident.

Now, the pundit has taken to Instagram, this time to repost a live version of Bruce Springsteen's My Hometown, a song with themes of racial tension and social decline.

Neville is a huge fan of the American rock star, and has attended his concerts on several occasions. The singer even stayed at Neville's Manchester hotel during his visit to the city earlier this year for a series of concerts.

Whether intentional or not, My Hometown draws references to Neville's own words and statements on British society, with the song focusing on a man reflecting on his family's hometown, before describing the racial violence and economic depression that he experienced in young life. Ultimately it focuses of ideas of community pride, economic decline, and racial strife.

Gary Neville. Image: James Gill - Danehouse / Contributor via Getty
Gary Neville. Image: James Gill - Danehouse / Contributor via Getty

The song includes lyrics of: "In '65 tension was running high

"At my high school. There was a lot of fights.

"Between the black and white. There was nothing you could do."

It comes after Neville condemned what he described as the "disgusting" division being created across the country.

Neville said: "The division that's being created is absolutely disgusting and it's mainly created by angry, middle-aged white men who know exactly what they're doing."

"We need to check ourselves... because we are being pulled right and left.

"Brexit has had a devastating impact on this country and the messaging is getting dangerous, extremely dangerous, all these idiots that are out there spreading hate speech or abuse in any form, we must stop promoting them."

Featured Image Credit: James Gill - Danehouse / Contributor via Getty

Topics: Football, Football News, Gary Neville