Channel 5 Vine fury as guest leaps to Gary Neville defence amid 'angry white men' row: 'Patriotism has NOTHING to do with racism!'

The 50-year-old has faced widespread criticism for the remarks, with Sky Sports even under pressure to sack the pundit for his comments.

The video and subsequent outrage were the topic of discussion on Monday's Jeremy Vine on Channel 5, where Ms Khan and fellow commentator James Max debated whether Mr Neville was correct to point the finger at "angry, middle-aged white men."

"Well, I agree with him," Ms Khan said. "I really applaud Gary Neville for talking about topics that other people just shy away from.

"I'm British-born, born in the '70s, and this is... Look, flying the flag, a lot of people do not have a problem with it, and in this country, historically, we fly the flag when it's a national sporting event, Jubilees, etc.

"Nobody has a problem with it, but this just feels, at this time, led by certain groups of people to be divisive, and I completely agree with him."

The Channel 5 guest then went on to share a scenario she allegedly witnessed firsthand: "I saw the other day at a roundabout, four men at 2:30pm climbing up a ladder, and creating a nuisance.

"They were putting up the flags. And you know what I thought about it? It was 2:30pm, why are you not in a job? Why are you not volunteering somewhere? Why are you doing this? Causing a public nuisance, and also causing a health hazard?

"So, I'm sorry, but down my street, where I live, there isn't a single flag, and you cannot say to me that, because we're not flying a flag, we are not patriotic."

Mr Vine then put to Ms Khan's fellow panellist: "James, the flag thing is really interesting. I mean, this is the Mirror supporting Gary Neville, but other papers are really cross with him for saying, 'Take the flags down'."

Mr Max weighed in: "Well, I think that the problem is that with any discussion, you've got to look at the whole story.

"On one hand, he makes a point that the flag is being used in a divisive way, and I think potentially, if a state doesn't own and occupy that space, then it allows others to come in and misuse the flag in an inappropriate way.

"And I think the state has been negligent with the way it's managed our flags, both the Union flag and the George Cross, and all of that business. And it's allowed other people to then take it for themselves.

"That having been said, when you start saying this is just 'angry, middle-aged white men', then I think that's problematic in itself. And I think the second point is that he then goes on to blame Brexit.

"As soon as you do that, then you are taking away from the power of your argument, because you're basically putting your flag up to say, 'Well, this is what I believe', and then you're dividing. So he's being as divisive by his words because of how he's framed his argument."

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Mr Vine went on to say that branding the men targeted by Mr Neville's as "angry" suggests they're "not in control of themselves", a suggestion Ms Khan cut in to agree with.

"They're not. If you see a lot of men on marches that want these flags up, they are white, angry men who are dissatisfied with their own lives. And so the only way they can do it is by going out and being like that. That's what I see on a lot of these marches," Ms Khan fumed.

Mr Vine then questioned the former Loose Women star: "Hang on, when you saw the men on the weekend at 2:30pm putting the flag up, do you think they were 'lagered' up?"

Ms Khan replied: "Well, I don't know, I was in a car and I saw them, and there was evidence that these men probably drink a lot. I'm sorry, but just by the shape of their bodies. And I don't care if that sounds controversial. I'm making a judgment on their appearance.

WATCH HERE: Gary Neville speaks out after terrorist attack on synagogue in Manchester

"I just thought, 'You saddos, you're absolute saddos'. And a lot of people, absolutely, from my own background, we love the flag. I hold the flag. My husband and kid are gonna go watch England play next year, we're going to be flagged up. But do we need it every single day? We never had it, so why now?"

Mr Max countered: "But I think also nobody complains if you go down Regent Street or Oxford Street, the flag is flying. And so it's about claiming the flag and it being used appropriately by the state. Because if it was, then we wouldn't have it where people feel that they have to fly it because they try to make a point."

The debate, especially Ms Khan's passionate defence of Mr Neville, sparked a fiery debate among Channel 5 viewers watching at home.

So much so, several took to social media to offer their thoughts. On X, one viewer slammed: "Saira Khan has an axe to grind with our flag. If people choose the United Kingdom for their home, they shouldn’t have a problem with it. We are flying it now, so get used to it. Patriotism has nothing to do with racism."

A second pulled no punches as they branded Ms Khan an "idiot", before a third weighed in: "Your show is destroying itself with panelists like her... They only stoke hatred and division. But I suppose that’s why you want them on your show. For clicks and ratings instead of honesty. Wake up, Jeremy."

"This is Gary Neville not reading the room again, blaming white men for the incident in Manchester. I think Gary is a thick, middle-class white man who cares more about money than his country, just like Khan," a fourth argued.

"And they wonder why people are switching off," a fifth hit out before a sixth echoed: "I like Gary Neville, however, I think he's misread the room on this."

However, there were some who agreed with Ms Khan's defence and Mr Neville's initial claims.

"G-Nev holding up a massive mirror to the UK and guess who doesn’t like what they see in the reflection," one viewer argued.

While a second added to the debate: "Perhaps look at the very first thing he said in this video, and then why that part of the video seems to have been omitted by some media outlets. 100% that's what is going on... we need to WORK TOGETHER to end this way of governance for the good of all." (sic)