If one was to ‘find’ some spray paint how might one amusingly deface a St George’s Cross (hypothetically ofc)

The England flag is seen as racist because the people flying them are massive racists who are using them purely to be racist and intimate immigrants! Obviously

Pentangle?

I appreciated your razor sharp comment @WhereIsMyJumper.

This really is sanctimonious tedium.

The fact we don't use the Union Jack (and yes, that's perfectly acceptable even if not at sea) for England any more is because of the devolved nations pushing for their own recognition ad individuals. The Union Jack isn't the flag of England, it's the flag of the UK. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own flags which they like to be recognised too

Not everyone flying flags is saying "take our country back"

Carefully manipulating the "normal people" on one issue until they don't see that they're supporting something they don't approve of any more is exactly how extremists work. It's a bit naive to think people can notice they are being manipulated

When there's some very clever but very unsavoury people carefully manipulating the mood of a nation then, yes, it doesn't mean it's racist. It means a racist group has spotted the unsettled nature of the nation and is stirring to gain support from people who can only see that issue

I am English. I am British. I am European (despite the Brexit vote).

That’s my flag. I am disgusted with how other people in this country have hijacked my flag. What should be a symbol of national pride for all is used to taunt, harass, bully and abuse.

Making jokes about it will not make it better. Nor will daubing graffiti and slogans on the English flag, even well meaning, anti Farage ones.

I despair.

Exactly this! Then they'll be scratching their heads when Farage gets into No.10 wondering: 'How on earth did that happen!?' 🤔

Nigel loves me,
this I know,
'Cause Reform
tells me so.

(To the tune of Jesus loves me)

It's not a case of what it's currently being used to, more a question of why should normal English people abandon their flag because of a minority of knuckle dragging morons? It's England's flag, it has been since the Middle Ages. It's flown with pride during international sports events such as rugby. If the far right want their own flag, they are welcome to create their own because the flag of St George doesn't belong to them and never has. The best thing to do with these idiots is to ignore them, they'll get bored and move on to something else that they can shout mindless nonsense about.

Thanks fuck we are not North Koreans or worse still...Americans FFS

🙄

I bow down to thee. You win. I give up. Deface the St Georges Cross all you like. In fact, just ban it altogether save a whole lot of fucking hassle and division.

It's been the English flag since the Middle Ages. It doesn't belong to the Far Right and never has. It's flown at all major international sports events including rugby and football. It's time to wrench it off the far right and take it back, not kowtow to a minority of knuckle daggers.

If you would like to make a stand against widespread riots, unrest and violence against immigrants (and people caught up in it), can I make a suggestion:

1. Have a conversation with some of the people who are frustrated about immigration, purely to understand their concerns directly;

2. See if any of those concerns overlap with any of your own interests (I'm sure there must be something - faster deportations for criminals perhaps, so people have more trust in the system?)

3. Advocate for policies that secure those shared interests through the legal and parliamentary systems, so that people don't feel the need for extra-legal "solutions"

Immigrants are NOT any safer in a society which is in the middle of a physically-violent revolution, but that is the direction of travel if the immigration system isn't controlled through the rule of law. I really urge anyone reading this to not see this as "sides" with "cares about immigrant humans" on one side and "wants to control immigration" on another.

What is nothing to do with dickheads painting red crosses?

Your post isn't clear.

Depends, were they put up as part of an online campaign organised by a far right group (Britain First, not Reform) to show immigrants they aren’t welcome here?

If not, they are fine.

And if that makes me unreasonable then so be it.

A far-right group announced it, took the credit for it and said "it's a protest against other countries' flags and pride flags, we need to take them down and put the Welsh flag up instead".

I grew up in a different part of Wales where flags were totally normal and we all got them out for sports events etc, but not so much here. Suddenly they were on every lamppost, Street sign etc - people going out at night with faces covered to put them up.

Flag shagger, knuckle dragger wins for me 😂.

For everyone saying would the saltire or Welsh flags be treated the same, I can assure you they're also being raised as part of this nonsense, and the people raising them are also being mocked and their flags are being defaced. Funnily enough I'm seeing more in areas with high levels of deprivation. It would suit people better to get out and litter pick in their communities, cut the grass, clear the fly tipping if they've got the time and money to be buying and hanging shitty polyester flags mass produced in China.

The truth is that since lockdown I've worked from home and been in my own boring bubble, I've legitimately only seen one painted roundabout and on the news. I abhor what it is being used for but I am also proud to be English and perhaps would have appreciated your post to be retitled to explain you mean the wanker stuff and not my birth countries flag in general. I'd like you to at least acknowledge that and how I perceived it.

People have to take responsibility for their actions and how those may be perceived, and be responsible for their own critical thinking.

If someone will be "pushed" towards Reform because someone took down a flag or criticised the notices behind the current wave of them popping up everywhere, they were already on the path.

I fly Palestine and pride flags alongside my Welsh flag. I take responsibility and accountability for that; if people want to call me a moron / snowflake / lefty / handmaiden then that's their prerogative to do so. They aren't "pushing me further left" or turning me Communist or anything - I'm responsible for forming my own political views; if I suddenly join a far left militant group, that's my choice and not to be blamed on the people on the right who criticised me.

There's so much talk of "stand up", "rise up", "take our country back", coming from the same people who can't even take responsibility and accountability for their own beliefs and blame them on others "pushing them".

Sounds like you need a hobby @Namechangechangeobv Maybe take up some volunteering? Offer some company to some lonely people who need company? Work for an animal charity? You sound a bit bored. 🤔