To ask my neighbour about England flag bunting?

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My neighbour is outside on a ladder attaching England-flag bunting to the lampost outside his house (on the pavement). Is there a sport-related reason for hanging bunting this weekend that I have forgotten about or am I right to be slightly wtf? We live in a very multicultural area and I think it looks a bit aggressive and unwelcoming, although I accept it might not have been his intention. I know the neighbour to say hello to only and although he's always been reasonably friendly I have tbh been keeping a bit of distance as I know other neighbours have fallen out with him. Would you ask him why he is hanging it, do you think? Or am I being paranoid? And if you agree it is a bit dodgy how do I get him to take it down?

I'd be hoping its for the commonwealth games but alas no, I'd guess World Cup.

This is such a sad thread, I'm really proud of being British (English/Scottish) and will wear all three flags at any relevant opportunity. I have never in my life seen them as aggressive.

I'm guessing OP (and those who agree with you) since you live in a multi cultural society (by which do you mean not English?) flags from other cultures would have scared you just as much?

SOME people who use the flag MIGHT be aggressive but the flag itself can never be aggressive!.

You are v.v.v unreasonable.

I have lots of Union Jack tat (paper plates, bunting, hats etc) left over from a diamond jubilee party and it'll all come out for the world cup. I can assure you none of my friends from various countries around the world will object or be offended.

In my opinion it's only paranoid white British people who see potential for offence.

You must've been a bundle of fucking nerves during the Olympics OP

Either way, a simple Google search would have answered your question.

Though I would dearly have loved it if you'd asked your neighbour...

The idea of someone hanging it in the street without any sort of context worried me..

Why? What sort of context is required?
And how did you not know the World Cup was coming, have you been living in a box?

The idea of someone hanging it in the street without any sort of context worried me.

Would you have been worried by New Zealand bunting?

I'd hang a welsh one out for DH... But Wales didn't qualify! Tee Hee. He's not bitter.

Crikey, don't come to Wales when the Rugby is on... Or for any time that matter.... Terroristic red dragon flags all over the place.

I'm all for a but if national pride, and I'm the furthest from EDL you could be. Nothing wrong with hanging the flag of your county with pride, especially if there is Sport on.

Are You English op?

We live in a very multicultural area and I think it looks a bit aggressive and unwelcoming

Unwelcoming to whom, only you? Has anyone else looked as if they're perturbed by this heinous crime. I would have been interested to see what kind of reaction you'd got off him if you'd actually had the brass neck to tell him you were offended.

Only in England would someone say that the English flag is aggressive
I imagine if you hung it in NI, Scotland or (for instance) Aghhanistan, it might be seen as confrontational to say the least! Are there people in England who would honestly hang such bunting if there was not a special event in the offing?

FFS.

I live in a multi cultural area (In England) and I put a union flag on my front door for team GB and flag was vandalised.

I put another one and same happened.

3rd time someone graffitid on my wall- 'this is offensive to us.'

I don't know who it was but here there are other colours/flags and emblems of other cultures around here on doors and things.and ive never taken offence to them, nor vandalised them.

coolcat and dragons are VERY aggressive as we all know! double whammy there for the welsh flag

I'm Scottish and near September will be hanging Saltire bunting if I can procure such a thing.

I see no harm in St George bunting during World Cup or just because. I think it is a crying shame that other BNP type connotations can be taken from the national flag. People should be able to be patriotic without being seen as xenophobic idiots.

That is sad mac
And isn't it a crime in America?

I fail to see why the flag of the country one is in, whether a citizen, visitor, born here, moved here, holidaying here etc can't be respected

Sadly the st George's flag has been associated with the EDL in the past due to their attempts at hijacking it as their own symbol of England being only for their idea of English people. The op isn't on her own, almost a quarter of people surveyed associated it with racism,
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9217620/St-Georges-flag-is-a-racist-symbol-says-a-quarter-of-the-English.html
I think a decade or do ago people were more wary of the flag being flown at random times due to its EDL association, but I think and hope that the flag has been reclaimed fully for its proper meaning.

I never seen or heard of that here Macenroe, and Cardiff is as multicultural as you can get.

I put one up a few years ago, next doors kids were shocked. 'we didn't know pakis liked the england flag'

I'm actually half Lebanese, half English and love supporting England I took it as an opportunity to explain not everyone with my skin colour is 'paki'.

Actually OP, given the question in your title, what on earth were you going to say to your neighbour?

'Hellooo up there? I couldn't help but notice your jolly bunting - are you the neighbourhood racist?'

That would do wonders for neighbourly relations

OP, you are everything that is wrong with this country. A zealous thought-police trying to see racism in any expression of national pride - and only English national pride at that. I bet you wouldn't be asking any other ethnicity to take their flags down.

Reminds me of how a couple of weeks ago a guy at work said he had seen a "racist barge". It was St George's Day and some people on the canal had decorated their barge with flags. It's a jaw dropping attitude.

Dont you wish Bale and Ramsey were english though biscuit

Mac were you tempted to just write "Fuck Off" under the graffiti?!

We also put up british flags and bunting for the jubilee and the olympics in the hospital I work in and had a party for the patients.

No-one batted an eyelid.