To be devasted the roundabout in my town has a crappy 'flag' painted on?

[Liesmorelies]

I nearly threw up when I saw it this morning - what a horrible shock.

It's a very small town in the Midlands near a city. Yes it's ex-mining but does reasonable ok now, not deprived eg no contextual offers for my dc for uni, but not massively desirable or trendy. Has a Labour MP now but hasn't always in recent years. Voted for Brexit but only just. In 2019 more people voted against Tories AND Brexit than for them - split the vote so we still got a Tory, but still.

In other words, I did not expect this. It's horrible - looks ugly and badly done even before you get started on the thinking behind it. AIBU to ring the council on Tuesday and ask when they are going to deal with this vandalism?

I did a four hour round-trip on the motorway today too and the amount of flags on bridges was shocking - just make it stop.

It's not being over dramatic. I think the OP might live near me and I find it very intimidating. Comparing it to other countries where it is the established culture is a false comparison. The aim of this is to cause division and hurt you only have to read the Facebook posts connected with it. In my area there are, apparently, only 4 or 5 people doing it and a lot of other residents hate it.

@ACynicalDad don't be silly, what level of education is needed to be cannon fodder? We have a recruitment issue in our Military, we'll have to take away the opportunities of white WC boys so the Army looks a good prospect.
It's interesting that the OP owns her own home and isn't competing for housing. When the population rises, everything becomes competitive. It's ironic that the St George flag supports Palestine and at the same time, how disrespectful it us to have flags on the floor.
It also speaks volumes that her early post about the British being victims is still standing. Yet we can't discuss issues towards women in Islam without them being deleted.

*protestors

When done right, the roundabouts look really good.

But it should be done by the council in a safe way.

If we allow random people to do it then we are saying it’s ok to graffiti (where does it stop) and people will put themselves in dangerous situations to do it.

We need to remove the power from the racists and we can start by making the flag a non racist symbol and we do that by having the council putting the flags up everywhere.

So glad I don't live in one of these chav towns. After Brexit you'd have thought 'that'll learn 'em' - but no they'll still all be voting for Farage. Can't argue with stupid.

Disgusting vandalism, these people painting and hanging cheap flags are racist only racist would consider their feelings so strong to think this act is going to sort out the problems in our country. I agree with the op if I saw this in my area it would make me feel sick.

They're popping up in our area in Wales. No-one objects. I think we've thought it daft that the English have been so embarrassed by their own flag for so long. We see them up when the women win a rugby match. Good game the other day btw, well done ladies.

It used to be Mumsnet

I am with you, OP.
Fed up of seeing this massive rise in flags flying and everything else that's going on.

Exactly, I'm from NI originally and flag flying in an area is a very clear message that you'll get beaten up or burned out of your house if you move in and you're the wrong tribe.

Hopefully we're not quite there yet in England but it's clearly the messages the far right are trying to send

Can’t compare Northern Ireland to England

She's Welsh

Xenophobic low life, they all need to be fined heavily for their vandalism and it needs to be removed at their cost. Preferably by them.

Have some pride in your beautiful country. As William Blake wrote so eloquently.

At least while they are out painting roundabouts they are not setting libraries on fire or looting JD sports.

Don't ever visit NI then

They have been painting the English flag on zebra crossings where I live. Not really something I can get worked up over.

Yes it has been reported not sure what your point is

When you say painting, you mean badly daubing a Red Cross on them? Just vandalism really?

If this had anything to do with the girl in the union jack dress (the one who was wildly excited to be invited to speak at a Tommy ten names rally) surely it would be union jack going up everywhere rather than the George cross?

There's nothing inherently racist about the English flag and nothing wrong with being proud to be British. There is a lot wrong with racism and supporting a campaign driven by racists.

There are some very naive people posting on this thread who don't believe this is to do with white supremacy.

There seems to be a perception now that every non-white person has arrived here on a small boat. The reality is that the vast majority of immigrants here are here not as asylum seekers but as workers or students on visas. A very small percentage are here as asylum seekers (which is also legal).

• - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Union Jacks and St George’s crosses are going up on lampposts across the UK. The Daily Mail called those behind it an “army of patriots.” But the truth is very different.

While there is nothing wrong with flying the nation’s flags, HOPE not hate can reveal that the key organisers behind much of this activism are hardened and extreme far-right activists.

Organised under the banner of “Operation Raise the Colours”, the co-founder of the group is Andrew Currien (AKA Andy Saxon).

Currien is a longtime Tommy Robinson ally and former English Defence League bodyguard. He was jailed for his role in a racist death in 2009.

Currien now works security for Britain First and boasts of supplying 1,000 flags in the last 24 hours to groups in: Wolverhampton, West Bromwich, Worcester, Dudley, Stourbridge
and Staffordshire.

In Nottingham, the group is led by Robinson’s associate, Guramit Singh. He served prison time after he and two accomplices tied up a shop assistant and threatened to slash his throat in an attempted robbery. He now fronts the Predator Hunter series for Robinson’s Urban Scoop.

Britain First itself claims to have provided 75% of the flag stock for teams in Manchester and the West Midlands. Its leader, Paul Golding, bragged: “Most of the flags in this photo are now on lampposts and bridges in Manchester and Birmingham!”

Football hooligan groups are also being encouraged to join in. Numerous “firms” are known to have raised flags in their local areas.

To be clear: there is nothing wrong with flying the Union Jack or St George’s cross. It’s not illegal to be proud to be English or British.

But when convicted criminals, Britain First and Tommy Robinson’s allies are the organisers, we should all be asking questions about what this wave of activism is really about.

https://hopenothate.org.uk/2025/08/22/operation-raise-the-colours-organised-by-well-known-far-right-extremists/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwMY8Y5jbGNrAxjxamV4dG4DYWVtAjExAAEe7deOiaCSXQTF7QS6iw45RuxK3Nd7oH4pc2whpnyPDSQhD7q2IRudar0H4caemw9qxZnHozmJfpxD53MNdFA

Or looting Greggs in defence of women and children.

Urgh. Men.

I'm using it as an opportunity to work out which businesses won't be getting my trade from now on. I have no issue if they've always put flags or bunting up, even if just for special occasions, but one cafe near me has cable tied plastic temu flags to all the lampposts on that corner and it looks horrific. He likes to think he's a local big man, he isn't.

@lkjhgfdsa
That's really interesting. My brother and I were saying yesterday that it has to be some kind of coordinated action so this information makes sense.
I'm sick of extremists of all kinds, but I especially loathe the appropriation on national identity to spread racism and elevate hate.

You seem to have misunderstood. This is about pride and dignity - and supporting a child not the misappropriation of anything!

Seriously. The outage over a few flags is ridiculous.