Laurence Fox mocked for calling for Nike boycott while wearing Nike shoes

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Laurence Fox has been mocked for calling for a boycott of Nike – while wearing Nike shoes.

The sportswear firm has attracted criticism after it altered the looks of the St George’s Cross on the England shirt forward of Euro 2024.

Using purple and blue horizontal stripes, Nike stated it was a “playful update”, however some soccer followers have claimed it’s ‘insulting’.

Fox advised the corporate to “leave our flag alone” as he addressed a small group of protesters exterior Downing Street on Saturday.

But when photos of Fox addressing the gang had been shared on-line, it was his footwear turned the main focus of consideration, with many mentioning the irony.

Twitter consumer Dean Johnson wrote: “Laurence Fox leading a “Million Men March” that like 50 individuals turned as much as boycott Nike while wearing Nike trainers is comedy gold. Satire is lifeless.”

And Ben Cogan added: “Good LORD! Just when You think that Laurence Fox could not be any more ridiculous than he already spectacularly is: he steps up to take even more of your breath away! Here is the plank of hatred calling for a boycott of all Nike products … whilst wearing a pair of Nike trainers.”

After sporting the pair of blue and white Nikes, the 45-year-old responded on X with a sarcastic ‘apology’.

In a brief video, he confirmed three pairs of Nikes he owned however argued that it was okay as a result of he purchased them earlier than the St George’s Cross redesign.

He stated: “I just turned on the internet to see that I was trending for wearing a pair of 15-year-old Nike high-tops. It gets worse – these are about, I don’t know, six or seven years older than these. These are the classics, these have been around since, I don’t know, 2007.”

At the rally of round 100 individuals on Saturday, Fox referred to under-21s England soccer star Harvey Elliott, who performed along with his collar turned up in opposition to Azerbaijan on Saturday.

Elliott’s choice led some commentators to marvel if it was an effort to cover the controversial new cross on the equipment.

“Good on Harvey Elliott for having his collar up all of yesterday during the game,” Fox stated. “Leave our flag alone.”

Attendees sang the nationwide anthem and waved Union flags and England flags. The crowd additionally chanted “get Sadiq (Khan) out” and “the new right rises”.

Fox, who plans to face because the Reclaim Party candidate on this yr’s London mayoral election, additionally took goal on the shirt at a “rally for British culture” in Westminster organised by Turning Point UK.

He stated that if he was nominated for London Mayor “you will never see another pride flag in this sodding town again”. Fox posed with a banner that learn “Lee (Anderson) and Suella (Braverman) were right.”

During the rally, there was an altercation between police and a small variety of attendees overdrinking in public.

Officers confiscated their alcohol and the occasion continued with out additional incident.