A protest movement that is hanging up English flags in public is “intimidating” residents, a Liberal Democrat council leader has said.
Nick Ireland, the leader of Dorset council, claimed the flag had been “co-opted by certain far-Right groups to promote their agendas”.
The councillor’s remarks come amid a growing movement that has seen members of the public display patriotic flags in towns and cities across England
An online “patriotism campaign” called Operation Raise the Colours, encouraging people to hang patriotic flags across England, has gathered momentum online.
Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, hoisted Union flags in his constituency in Newark earlier this week. In Dorset, a number of mini-roundabouts have been painted to resemble the St George’s Cross, which the council has described as “targeted vandalism”.
Robert Jenrick hoisted a Union flag in his Newark constituency this week
“It would be naive to pretend otherwise that the St George’s flag has been co-opted by certain far-Right groups to promote their agendas,” Cllr Ireland told the BBC. “We will not be encouraging division in our communities.”
Mini-roundabouts in Weymouth and Portland were targeted this week, the Daily Echo reported. Pictures showed several white roundabouts daubed with stripes of red paint. Cllr Ireland said the paint would be “removed shortly” as defacing road markings was “dangerous” and could distract drivers.Related video: Activists re hang St George’s Flags on Isle of Dogs after being removed by Tower Hamlets Council (Newsflare)
Activists re hang St George’s Flags on Isle of Dogs after being removed by Tower Hamlets Council
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He said there was “an underlying tension in the campaign”, which he claimed had been “hijacked by people whose views, for me, are completely unacceptable”.
The association of the St George’s and Union flags with far-Right political movements meant some residents had felt “intimidated”, he added.
He urged people to fly national flags in a way that is “safe and respectful”, such as at home, at community events and on designated flagpoles.
“For me, patriotism means working hard to improve the lives of our communities, holding our institutions to account and making sure we live up to our values,” he said.
Investigation into flags painted on roundabouts
Elsewhere, West Mercia Police has launched an investigation after the St George’s Cross was painted on a mini-roundabout in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. At least five other roundabouts in the West Midlands have reportedly been painted in a similar way.
The display of patriotic flags in public has become a contentious issue in recent weeks. Tower Hamlets, in east London, which is run by the pro-Palestinian party Aspire, said it would remove any St George’s flags from council property, including lamp posts, “as soon as possible”.
In Birmingham, the Labour-run council – which declared effective bankruptcy in 2023 and has been grappling with bin strikes for more than five months – claimed the flags put the lives of pedestrians and motorists “at risk”. The authority removed hundreds of the flags from lamp posts and other street furniture last week.
Critics have accused the two councils of “two-tier bias” because Palestinian flags were not taken down for months after popping up in the aftermath of the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
The Government has previously issued guidance saying it wants “more flags flown, particularly the Union flag”, as long as they are erected with “the permission of the owner of the site”. Downing Street has said Sir Keir Starmer is a “patriot” who backs people flying the England flag.
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