I'm always confused when someone says "Europe" here
It's quite simple. Europe is 'over there'.
BTW, respecting cultural diversity often seems to be a one way street. I for one don't get offended if a foreigner sticks two fingers up in the opposite way to a Churchillian salute. I simply assume they don't know what it means in Britain. So, should, for example, a Greek person not be offended if one makes a circle with thumb & forefinger?