A man in South Yorkshire, England has been asked not to wear his Who-style Union Jack jacket by alleged council officials because it may cause offense.
Jason Mawer was given the jacket for his birthday in January. Its design is inspired by legendary rock band The Who, and being a big fan, he was thrilled. This joy turned to shock, however, while walking around his hometown when he was confronted on two separate occasions by two different people who told him to remove the jacket because it could cause offence. Mawar says he believes the hypersensitive busy-bodies are council officials.
Mawar was first stopped while walking through his hometown of Barnsley by someone who he was "sure" was a "council enforcement officer."
The person was wearing a high-visibility jacket and told him he shouldn’t wear such clothing while in town, the Daily Mail reported.
"To be honest I was in a hurry and I was walking along as she asked me to take it off. In the end I just said, 'No I’m not taking it off,'" Mawer told the newspaper.
"It was an insult to be asked to take it off. It is my pride and joy," he said. "I’m a big fan of The Who and the Mod era and have all the gear."
In a second incident, Mawer was once again asked to remove his red, white, and blue jacket.
"Would you mind removing your coat? It might offend somebody," Mawer says he was told.
Mawer described the incidents as cases of "political correctness gone mad," while his partner said it was "disgusting."
The Barnsley Council has said "no such incident has been recorded" by their enforcement teams.
"The council’s officers would not approach someone because of their clothes," the council said in a short statement on their official Twitter account.