To ask those who are not white brittish how they feel about the flags?

[PicaK]

Birmingham and Tower Hamlets are having St George England flags put up by privately funded groups.
I'm horrified by the implicit racism. I've seen a lot of white people applauding this and "time we took back the country" comments.
I haven't seen many non white people commenting. My feel is that they are too intimidated to do so. Am I right? Or is it indifference or is it that you're dealing with racism on a daily level and this is just one more thing.
Please don't post if you're white.whatever you feel about the flags. I want to hear on white viewd

i'm mixed heritage (one Asian grandparent) and look white so does my opinion count? I have always associated the St George's Cross with racist people not that I have ever been on the receiving end but friends and family have. There is a pub in my home city that is always draped in these flags and there has been trouble there. Only a micro observation but there you go...

Personally I would swap St George for St Edmund as the patron saint.

#RestoreSaintEdmund

Jinx!

If it’s the St George flag (Red Cross on white background) it’s the English flag. The British / UK flag (often known as the Union Jack) is different.

I think you need to educate yourself more, if they are claiming the flags are up for VJ Day it’s because it’s been 80 years since vj occurred so is a massive anniversary. In terms of the flag itself being racist…. How? It is the nation flag of England. Is the French flag racist?

people need to grow a back bone and not get so offended over the use of a flag. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being British just as there is nothing wrong with being from Gaza, America, Lithuania or anywhere else in the world.

They were correcting a spelling mistake by another poster ("Brittish")

I'm English and am proud of our national flag. It's a flag. How can a flag be racist? It's the flag of this country just like the Union flag is the flag of the United Kingdom.
We are right to fly our flag and we should be proud of it

Well, if our own politicians and councils behave like this towards the flag, it's not really surprising that you would form that negative impression about it.

Every other country I have visited has the national flag everywhere. Its mainly a sign that the building it's on is an official building, like a town hall or police station.

It's just England where this is viewed as racist, and I think that that's as odd AF.

But everywhere national flags are used by racists. Again. It would be pretty weird if far right nationalist didn't fly their national flag, but someone elses. And far right nationalists are everywhere.
That's what's weird tbh. That English just surrounded their flag. I passed far right neo nazis in my native country waving our flag. Doesn't make me be ashamed of our flag and doesn't stop our people using it

I agree. How is it racist to fly the English flag.....in England???

Edit: I do understand that the St. George's flag has come to mean far-right BNP skinheads etc., but it shouldn't. Why should we bow down to that stereotype? It's a pity it has that stigma, because in reality it's simply the English flag.

The stigma is very strong though. So strong that I certainly wouldn't be flying it.

They were being hung from lamp posts. Obviously the council has good reasons for not wanting anyone hanging things from its lamp posts without permission. This is fair enough, otherwise you leave the field open for all kinds of fly posting.

So the question remains whether they're applying their policies (both of removing flags without permission, and of granting permission) fairly. Are they turning a blind eye to Palestinian flags flown without permission? If so they need to get on and take them down quickly. When considering whether to grant permission do they treat different flags equally?

Not in 2025 there isn't, haven't you heard- binary choices that over-simplify complex questions, encourage people to identify with one side or the other, is the order of the day!

People should be able to fly the flag of their own country without it being seen as rascist. I wouldn’t dare dictate the flag of another country I choose to live in and I would abide by their rules. Perhaps if those who choose to live elsewhere felt the same we would have fewer problems?

Are you suggesting native people should not take pride in their heritage in case they offend someone who has lived here for a few decades ?

This is the logical answer, the real problem I suspect is that certain people are embarrassed that they might be seen as chavs if they fly a flag.

Oh. Sorry.

In the US, people fly the Stars and Stripes everywhere, and always have done.

It’s not implicit racism per se, but we all know the types who put them up.

What fresh woke fuckshittery is this now? The countries flag is not implicitley racist - and the fact that you are implying that is quite frankly one of the most ridiculous view points yet to be put across on mumsnet. Give your head a wobble!

You’re being very disingenuous to say so innocently “how can a flag be racist?” It shouldn’t be, of course, but you’d have to be very naive to not see that the St George Cross has not been co-opted by the far right and racists. Flying during the Euros or something similar, ok. But any other time, unless it’s on some kind of public building, not great.

You’ve really only ever heard the issue with the St George flag on this thread, on MN? Really?

Yes but it is a totally different culture and symbolic of their independence from the Brits!

Yes, context is everything!

I live in Tower Hamlets and haven't really seen Palestinian flags around my area. I've seen it in some people's windows, seen some spray painted graffiti but there are absolutely no Palestinian flags hanging from lamp posts.

There may be in some areas, but I haven't seen them. However, there's a difference between a single Palestinian flag and a whole street of flags on every lamp post which is what seems to be happening in this uprising of the patriots.

Why don't they put flags in their windows instead of all over the streets?

True!

I never thought of it as symbolic of their independence from Brits since they gained it so long ago, but it makes sense!