RAF crusaders drop nickname after complaint it's 'offensive' to Muslims

The RAF is currently undertaking a review of its historic terminology, it is understood.

By Ciaran McGrath, Senior News Reporter

09:10, Mon, Jul 29, 2024 | UPDATED: 09:12, Mon, Jul 29, 2024

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RAF's 14 Squadron will no longer use its Crusaders nickname (Image: Getty)

A single complaint has prompted an RAF squadron to ditch its “Crusaders” nickname over concerns it is offensive to Muslims.

14 Squadron was given a soubriquet after crews flew missions over Gaza and Palestine during World War 1.

However, crews have now been told to strip out any references to the word around their hangar after a senior officer upheld a complaint from an RAF crew member who said the term was insulting.

The Crusades describe the religious conflict between Christians and Muslims during the medieval era over two centuries, starting in 1095.

The first 30 years of 14 Squadron’s history were closely connected to the Middle East, with pilots more recently involved in the first Gulf War in 1991 and Kosovo in 1999.

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The change was triggered by one complaint, reported the Mail on Sunday.

One insider said: “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.”

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.

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"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 is conducting an ongoing review of historic terminology and there may be more changes, it is believed.