Time to reclaim the English flag from the right

[BlueCarRedCar]

This whole flag thing feels like it’s getting out of hand. It’s blatantly been claimed by the right wing and although you get the ‘why shouldn’t we hang our flag and be proud to be British?’ Brigade, I haven’t seen or heard anyone with left liberal values boasting about hanging the flag. It’s being done purely to intimidate migrants and minorities.
So how do we go about making being proud to be British back to being proud to be a country that believes in helping others, being multicultural, being compassionate , embracing the things that make us all different?
The only thing I can suggest is hanging the same flags but with slogans on that shout out support for all of the things listed above, I can’t think of another way to reclaim it for what I consider the true values of being British?

I appreciate the sentiment. Maybe adding ‘Refugees Welcome’ or ‘Stand up to Racism’ could be an option?

Thank you.

Yes, I suggested on another thread that we somehow need to reclaim the flag in order to take the power away from the racist fuckwits.

I can truly say that the people hanging their flags and vandalising roundabouts by painting flags on them do not represent me or my views in any way. I am as British as you can get and in my sixties. I never thought I would see the rise of racist views again in my lifetime.

Except that flag waving is jingoistic by definition. My pride in being British / English (such as it is) is bound up with the fact that as a nation we don't really do flag waving or other overt displays of patriotism. Absolutely no desire to 'reclaim' it.

I feel sad that its currently the Women's Rugby World Cup, its hosted by England, England have a real chance of winning...

But you can't celebrate with the flag due hijack. And all ot sports teams gave amazing players of all ethnicities that have made England their home.

Absolutely. I'm long enough in the tooth to remember the National Front hijacking the St George's flag to represent their repellent views.

All other countries seem to be able to fly their own national flag without being accused of racism. The citizens of Scotland, Wales, NI, the Channel Islands and Cornwall can all fly their flag with pride. Pretty much every country in the world can fly its national flag without being accused of racism. I can just imagine the reaction of the French if people started telling them they were offended by the sight of their flag. They'd be told they are in France, and if they don't like the French flag they can jolly well lump it.

The English are simply not allowed to fly their flag (or the Union Flag) without being labelled as racist. What are the people of England supposed to do? Allow bigots and racists to co-opt our national flag, or do we say fuck 'em, we are taking it back, and we are damned if we are going to let them win?

People might say oh well, perhaps it is about time we designed a new, different flag and used that instead. Sure, but it would take about 5 minutes before that was being used by racists as well.

I am heartily sick of it, I really am.

I understand what you’re saying and I agree, when I was in America I found the whole flag obsession very strange, but this isn’t just about flag waving. This is about the right abusing the flag and using it to shout their racist rhetoric knowing that if people ask for the flags to be removed they can shout ‘but I’m just proud to be English!’, when we all know that is not actually what they mean. So we need to change what the flag is currently being used to represent, we need to try and change it to a symbol of love and inclusivity. I personally can’t think of another way to achieve this.

Can you remember when the far right group in America were using the hashtag #proudboys and then the gay community flooded social media with images of love and inclusivity using the same hashtag, basically reclaiming it from the hate group, it was wonderful! We need something like that.

The irony is that St George was a foreigner.

I know! My husband said the same! 😆

Wish England got a new flag - that the normal people of this country can get behind…

our flag has become a symbol of horrible right wing nastiness.

we need a flag that normal people who have moderate views can be proud of - to be able to flap and wave and hang to celebrate English pride in sporting events etc. most countries in the world are proud of their flag - yet we are embarrassed by it because of what it has become associated with.

it is so sad that because of the nasty people in the country - we no longer have a flag that we can be proud of and that our flag is such a symbol now of hatred…

time for a new design so we can get behind - that represents the goodness and decency that most English people are - and not be pulled down by the awful far right nutters that have tainted our national flag and our country

As usual, you are either part of the problem or part of the solution. If you think our flag is a symbol of racism you are most definitely part of the problem.

@blacksax Me too. I think it was only the passage of time, and events such as the jubilee, Olympics and (men’s) Euros that meant it became into general, accepted usage again.

It is being abused and used as a symbol of racism and if you are denying that I’d argue you are part of the problem.

I don’t know what world you’re living in where you think you can’t put your flag up? I only took my VE 80 Bunting down on Friday, because I didn’t iwant it associated with the bullshit from the last week! No one from the council turned up on my door step & told me to take it down!
oh I had Jubilee nails too for the last jubilee, no one turned up to chop my fingers off!

I have lived in a lot of places in my life with very diverse communities
Where I am now (a not very diverse small town) the flag flying/painting etc is being accompanied by marching/protests etc
It looks and feels scary and out of control and will have a terrible impact on the small number of black and Asian people who have made their homes here whilst having no impact whatsoever on the asylum seekers who I believe it is protesting against
I am shocked at what is happening and that no moves are being made to stop it

I’m not racist. I’m not white either. I refuse to let Pearl clutchers who like to be “ disgruntled from Tunbridge Wells” all over mumsnet pretend that our flag could possibly be affected by some transient turbulence.

Give your aghast little heads a wobble and read some history.

We are massive rugby fans in our house - I would love to throw some flags out the window to celebrate the women’s upcoming final (like people did during the football….) but I wouldn’t want my lovely neighbours (of all ethnicities )to think we are far right racists when we are not - we are just sports mad in this house!!!

it is so sad that the National flag has been hijacked by those with such awful agendas - as innocent intent could be misconstrued as being malicious.

The thread is becoming derailed, this isn’t an argument about whether you can put a flag up or not, anyone can put whatever flag up they like, the issue is that currently, the flag is associated with right wing nationalists , this is a thread about how we can turn that around so it once again can be hung proudly by anyone without the current association with being racist

I agree with this. I don't look at the St. George's flag and immediately think that the person waving it or having it displayed in their garden is racist. That's just ridiculous. If people just went about their lives as normal and stopped going on about who is putting up a flag and where it would soon die down.

It is scary & out of control, it’s horrible!

Like I said I took my VE Day bunting down on Friday because I didn’t want it associated with Operation Raise the Colours!

Time is the only thing, we need the thugs painting Red Crosses on shops & roundabouts to get bored- which they will when the weather turns & then we can just get back to normal!

Surely your neighbours know you well enough to know that you're not racist so why would this be a problem? You're assuming an awful lot if you think this would be their first thought.

Surely the best way to reclaim the flag is for anyone/everyone to fly it. So it looses it's 'they must be racist' stigma and becomes no different to seeing the Welsh dragon up in Wales or the Saltaire up in Scotland.

A tricky thing to get going. Because at the beginning you have to be brave enough to hang it up and risk the assumptions.

Some racists will get in on the act yes, but their reasons for flying the flag will eventually be swallowed up and lost. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

I’m happy for them to have it. It makes them easily identifiable. Our flag and our national anthem mean nothing to me. Let them enjoy it.

It needs to be reclaimed. If it is as frequently used as any of our road signs, it would cease to intimidate and go back to its original meaning.