England football supporters have defended their right to wear crusader costumes during the European Championship despite claims that such outfits may be offensive to Muslims.

The costumes, white tunics sporting a red cross on the front, are a popular accessory for England supporters

There have been suggestions that fans going to France this month should think twice about the outfit given its history as a symbol of Christian Europe’s holy wars against the Arabs during the Middle Ages.

The BBC’s iWonder website has questioned whether the outfits are appropriate given that “crusaders were the perpetrators of violent attacks on Muslims, Jews and pagans”.

The Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding (Caabu) said that the costumes may be taken the wrong way, but Mark Perryman,