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An RAF squadron has dropped its “Crusaders” nickname following a complaint it is offensive to Muslims.
14 Squadron, one of the RAF’s longest-serving and most senior squadrons, achieved the moniker after its airmen flew sorties over Gaza and Palestine during the First World War.
However, crews have been ordered to remove any references to Crusaders around their hangar after a senior officer upheld an RAF crew member’s complaint insisting the term was insulting.
The Crusades were a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims during the medieval era that began primarily to gain control of holy sites considered sacred by both groups.
The first 30 years of 14 Squadron’s history were closely linked to the Middle East. More recently, its pilots were involved in the first Gulf War in 1991 and Kosovo in 1999.
The change was sparked following a single complaint from an RAF crew member, according to the Mail on Sunday.
“There was never any prejudice or malice in the name. Every squadron, every regiment has a past. But if that past doesn’t suit current thinking it will be erased.”
Officials said the RAF’s focus must not be on giving prominence to offensive terms that may go against the values of the service, and that while nicknames may have a place in its history, some are “no longer appropriate”.
An RAF spokesman said: “As a modern and diverse service, our focus must be on not giving prominence to any offensive term that goes against the values of the Royal Air Force. Therefore, 14 Squadron have ceased using their historic unofficial nickname.
“The traditions and informal nicknames used by the RAF in the earlier days have a place in our history. However, some are no longer appropriate in the 21st Century.”
The RAF’s review of historic terminology is ongoing and there may be further changes, it is understood.
14 Squadron, one of the RAF’s longest-serving and most senior squadrons, achieved the moniker after its airmen flew sorties over Gaza and Palestine during the First World War.
However, crews have been ordered to remove any references to Crusaders around their hangar after a senior officer upheld an RAF crew member’s complaint insisting the term was insulting.
The Crusades were a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims during the medieval era that began primarily to gain control of holy sites considered sacred by both groups.
The first 30 years of 14 Squadron’s history were closely linked to the Middle East. More recently, its pilots were involved in the first Gulf War in 1991 and Kosovo in 1999.
The change was sparked following a single complaint from an RAF crew member, according to the Mail on Sunday.
‘Part of our history’
One aviator told the newspaper: “If they’d have asked members of the squadron, rather than dictating this change, almost everyone would have been in favour of retaining ‘Crusaders’, because it is so much part of our history.“There was never any prejudice or malice in the name. Every squadron, every regiment has a past. But if that past doesn’t suit current thinking it will be erased.”
Officials said the RAF’s focus must not be on giving prominence to offensive terms that may go against the values of the service, and that while nicknames may have a place in its history, some are “no longer appropriate”.
An RAF spokesman said: “As a modern and diverse service, our focus must be on not giving prominence to any offensive term that goes against the values of the Royal Air Force. Therefore, 14 Squadron have ceased using their historic unofficial nickname.
“The traditions and informal nicknames used by the RAF in the earlier days have a place in our history. However, some are no longer appropriate in the 21st Century.”
The RAF’s review of historic terminology is ongoing and there may be further changes, it is understood.
