Social media erupt with criticism as supermarket offers 'wearable World Cup flag' reminiscent of racist US group KKK

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Asda are selling wearable England flags, they look dodgy to say the least... pic.twitter.com/cGBsSdQyP9 — Kieran (@KieranCPhoto) May 29, 2014

Asda has defended a "wearable England flag" the supermarket has launched for the World Cup, after criticisms that it resembles a Ku Klux Klan outfit.

The £3 St George's Cross, with the word England on the red cross, features a hood which the supermarket says is to allow fans to stay dry in the unpredictable British weather.

But some fans took to Twitter to point out there were similarities with the hoods worn by the racist US organisation, also known by its initials, KKK.

One user called Kieran posted a picture of himself at his @KieranCPhoto account, writing: "Asda are selling wearable England flags, they look dodgy to say the least …"

Another user, called Simon, replied on his @HungryHatter account: "'ENGLAND RULES OKKK' Honestly, do Asda simply not bother to see how these things look when worn? *sigh*"

The flag's description on the Asda website simply says: "Support England in the World Cup with this unique wearing flag!"

A company spokeswoman said it had also produced a wearable Brazilian flag before the competition, with starts on June 12.

"We know there's chatter on Twitter about our wearable World Cup flags, but it's simply a flag with a hood – nothing more, nothing less.

"We opted for a hood on our wearable England and Brazilian flags as you never know what the British weather will bring. We want customers to get behind the team without getting wet."