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.

Nor here in England.

Just the crazy lefties virtual signalling the usual contempt.

I just literally got told I couldn’t fly it ?!? I also just said I’ve never flown it previously or planned to, but tempted now I’m being told not to.
That is the answer to both questions.

But that's assuming everyone who is displaying a flag has the same intent?

That's a huge assumption.

My husband made me a cup of English Breakfast tea this morning and I was shaking and crying.

He forgot to add sugar. I called the police immediately.

That's just it, though, isn't it?! Racist thugs seem to have co opted the flag as theirs. Of course not everyone will have the same intent. Why is everyone wanting to do it right now though, why have they not been proudly flying it before if all it was was that they were just proud of being British/English?

Who literally said you are not to fly it?

So care to answer the question, who told you that before today to make you not fly it and why did you not defy them before?

Way to completely ignore the actual post that you quoted and shoehorn in a piss take instead.

I’ve not seen any roundabouts painting with St George’s flag yet but I have seen plenty of flags displayed across the motorway bridges and bunting displayed in the local town centre. I think we should fly our flag with pride. Other countries do it with no shame.

It is odd isn't it.

People suddenly become patriotic at the same time...
Racism increases on social media and at the same time....
Racism increases in society and at the same time...
People are told to burn buildings with immigrants in it and at the same time...
People are saying all brown men are rapists and paedos and at the same time...
A group created on facebook openly racist told them to and at the same time....

A random group that has not seen any of the above just decided it was a nice thing to do.

People are getting told not to fly flags. People are getting accused of racism for flying flags. Someone went on the news and moaned that the Union flag and England flag are symbols of oppression. Pathetic moaning wet wipe hypocrites who in the same vein would wave Palestine flags around.

THAT is why a lot people are doing it. Adults do not like being told what they should and shouldn’t do and nobody has the right to try and stop anyone waving a flag.

I found the argument from the man who went on I think GMB saying those flags are symbols of oppression waved when conquering other countries and they’re triggering, idiotic. If he knew his history he’d know how many times British forces have allied with commonwealth countries when they’ve been in danger or have been conquered by other countries. Unlike HIS argument, this is in living memory. It’s a symbol of allyship.

People are DESPERATE to come across as so progressive and inclusive and for some reason they think that means shitting on the legacy of other groups they see as “privileged”. A half wit mentality and we shouldn’t pander to it, ever

The roundabout thing is cringe though, and also vandalism.

This.
Taking ownership back of the union jack (and i am deliberately using the incorrect name it has been called colloquially fpr generations) and St Georges flag is tbe best way to beat the racists! Fly them everywhere.
Although the lroblem if illegal immigration needs quicklu and decisively addressing, immigration is not the reason there are holes on the road and you can't get a doctor's appointment. The vadt majority of immigtants pay thousands for visas, need to show they can support tnemsrlves and on top of thst pay the NHS surcharge.
The problem is decades of deliberate underfunding, asset stripping of the country and self serving political leaders

Who has told people not to fly flags or is it...

People are purposely putting flags in places that they know will get taken down and then they can show it on social media to whip up the masses saying they were not allowed to fly it?

That is what is happening - doing it on purpose in order that it gets taken down so they can play the victim and whip up a storm.

And the gullible drink it in!

They've covered speed cameras near me then are crying when it gets removed, knowing that putting one there would ensure it got removed and then they can post about the 'injustice' and not being able to fly our flags etc online.

Odd too that they always seem to be there to film it being taken down. One would question as to why they know that will happen and be hanging around waiting for it. I mean, it isn;t as if they did that on purpose so it got took down and they hung around on purpose to film it and cry 'not being allowed to put a flag up' of course. How cynical of me.

Then along comes the rest of the lemmings wanting to put up flags to 'show them'.

I live in Birmingham where this all started and the Union Jack has always been flown on Birmingham City Council House.

Thing is, the mindset of certain individuals means that not only will they go after their intended targets, they will also go after people they deem supporters of their targets and societal division and unrest will keep devolving until we see the authorities clamping down on everyone regardless.

The authorities are most invested in power, money and order to preserve and further their objectives. They won't actually care if gen pop are wiping each other out, regardless of which side they're on. They're not going to give a shit about "patriots" unless there's a political advantage to it. Principles count for not alot in the modern world. Manipulation and money are everything.

The flag isn't racist. The people organising the current flag flying are racist. HTH

-‐-‐--------

Union Jacks and the crosses of St George have begun to appear on lampposts up and down the UK in recent days. Much of the right-wing media has celebrated, with the Daily Mail dubbing those behind it an “army of patriots.”

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.

While many instances of flags being raised, or crosses being painted on roundabouts or walls, are being carried out by ordinary people inspired by posts on social media, the main organising force behind the campaign is “Operation Raise the Colours”.

HOPE not hate can reveal that the co-founder and organiser of the group is longtime Stephen Lennon (AKA Tommy Robinson) ally Andrew Currien (AKA Andy Saxon). Formerly a key member of the English Defence League’s leadership bodyguard team, and now running security for the far-right party Britain First, Currien has previously been jailed for his part in a racist death. He was one of six men convicted in 2009 after a 59-year-old man was crushed to death by a car following a violent brawl.

Currien’s X account links to a fundraising page where he is collecting money to “help us purchase new flags so we can continue putting them up”. He has also posted: “In the last 24hrs, we have supplied 6 districts with a thousand flags. These districts include Wolverhampton, West Bromwich, Worcester, Dudley, Stourbridge and Staffordshire.”

Across the country, many of the small groups that have come together to raise the flags are being organised by well-known far-right extremists. The group in Nottingham, for example, is headed by another of Lennon’s associates, Guramit Singh. Having been a key member of EDL from the early days, Singh now runs the Predator Hunter series for Lennon’s media outlet Urban Scoop media. The only break in his longrunning activism came due to a spell in prison after Singh and two accomplices tied up a shop assistant and threatened to slash his throat in an attempted robbery at a hydroponic shop in Hucknall, Notts.

Similarly, the far-right group Britain First claims to have provided many of the flags in the North West. “Britain First has, so far, donated 75% of its flag stock to local teams in Manchester and the West Midlands for ‘Operation Raise The Colours’,” tweeted leader Paul Golding. “Most of the flags in this photo are now on lampposts and bridges in Manchester and Birmingham!”

HOPE not hate can also reveal that football hooligan chat groups have been encouraging their supporters to get involved and numerous ‘firms’ are known to have raised flags in their local areas.

Again, there is nothing wrong with raising the Union Jack or cross of St George. Despite what people claim on social media, it’s not illegal to be proud to be English or British! It’s also true that not everyone who has raised a flag is far right. But the fact that much of this wave of activism is being organised by well-known racists and extremists does raise questions about the motivations behind much of Operation Raise the Colours.

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

I’m confused - do you want full names?

The point is nobody should be taking the flags down at all. Its not offensive in any way, it’s a flag.

I live in a town that has permanent Union flag bunting and an England flag flying from our local castle. Is that provocative?

You have no idea why people are putting flags up, you’re making a sloppy assumption.

I also find it quite funny that you’re insisting “nobody is saying you can’t fly flags! Nobody!” while in the same sentence saying “People know the flags will get taken down”. So which is it - are people allowed to do it or not? Who is taking the flags down? The fairies?

The flag isn't racist. The people organising the current flag flying are racist. HTH

This. I don't know why it's so hard to understand.

Because - how do you know?

Have you spoke to all of them?

Is it always racist, or just people who don’t it over the last week? Are they allowed racist? Or are you assuming?

We always have these flags flying in my hometown. Are we racist? Or is it ok because we did it before last week?

Is waving a Palestinian flag something to be concerned about?

I live in a town that has permanent Union flag bunting and an England flag flying from our local castle. Is that provocative?

No, it's not. What are you finding so hard to grasp?

Thing is both sides are playing into this with their actions and speech.
People filming themselves ripping them down, declaring themselves "Devastated" it's all about the same thing, causing division and unrest in people you don't agree with, and taking the most extreme position possible.

Absolutely nothing will be solved because people on both sides are far too interested in getting the stage and being the only voice heard rather than actually solving the issues that are bothering both sides and coming to a compromise.

Why? That's not what I meant at all.