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AIBU?

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Original poster

Rip the flags down! A call for action!

470 replies

Ilovemychocolate · 25/08/2025 18:46

The sudden appearance of the English flag hung on lamp posts, railings etc has absolutely sickened me, and my dd.
I am proud to be British, but the misappropriation of the flag by thugs, intending to intimidate, is absolutely not acceptable in a diverse society.
So tonight myself and my adult dd ripped them down in our area, and tomorrow we will be going on a flag hunt, to rip down any more we find.
I would strongly urge those of you that feel the same way, to also remove them, as long as you feel safe and comfortable to do it.
Posting in AIBU for traffic.

OP posts:
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11
cardibach · 26/08/2025 22:49

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The Labour party has never been socialist. They’re a Social Democratic Party. Says it in their rule book.
We have Easter Eggs. What are you on about? Honestly that’s the biggest rage myth going.
And asylum is a tiny, tiny fraction of immigration, so why so exercised about it?
I don’t understand the last sentence.

cardibach · 26/08/2025 22:51

Fairyliz · 26/08/2025 22:27

No we are not.
If you are English you are supposed to be in a constant state of apology because we are responsible for all of the bad things in the whole wide world.
Obviously no other country in the history of humankind has ever done anything wrong.
It’s hard cross to bear, just thank your lucky stars you were born Scottish.

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Yes you are.
You are absolutely allowed to fly your flag in your own house/garden.
What you aren’t allowed to do is litter random lampposts with it.

JLou08 · 26/08/2025 23:03

Ilovemychocolate · 25/08/2025 21:34

Well let’s hope it really does die soon enough, but are you really so sure with all the rhetoric against the “boat” people that is being bandied about now?
I think the country is heading in a seriously difficult situation right now, and I’m honestly worried about it.
Farage is stoking up the fire, and so many people are falling for it.
Division of the masses, always the dictator’s favourite method.

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How can you be so blind to the fact YOU are being influenced by Farage, YOU are playing in to this division. People are flying flags because Farage said the left won't let us. Here come the left pulling them down and proving him right. Yes, mass division and you have played right into their hands. YOU are now on a side and YOU will encourage others to pick the wrong side. After all, they can trust Farage, he was right all along about the boat people taking over and the country losing its identity, we can't even fly our flag. (Not my opinion but it will be the thoughts of others now).

JollyUmberDeer · 26/08/2025 23:36

OP, you know this is the internet. If you want to seek attention, you have to do in real life with real people.

the5thgoldengirl · 27/08/2025 01:04

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the5thgoldengirl · 27/08/2025 01:05

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the5thgoldengirl · 27/08/2025 01:13

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MeinKraft · 27/08/2025 01:32

YABU. People are allowed to express their opinions, even if you don’t like it. You are also free to express your personal standpoint through the medium of a flag. Why not design one and fly it outside your house?

Corcaigher · 27/08/2025 06:19

Ilovemychocolate · 26/08/2025 21:52

Not once on this thread have I asked for any admiration, I don’t want it or need it.
i dd hope it would raise awareness of why the flag is being used in the way it is now, and I think that has been achieved.
i have received insults and condemnation, and insults have been levelled at my daughter.
Congratulations on adding to the pile on, you must be so proud.
I am genuinely frightened of the way this country is heading, and all the hatred being stirred up, especially recently.
Do not lecture me on what causes I should or should not be fighting for, you know absolutely nothing about me.

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“Don’t lecture me on causes I should or shouldn’t be fighting for”

Is precisely what you are doing and making rude comments about people “educating themselves”.

PurpleAxe · 27/08/2025 06:22

Fantastic stuff, God I love Mumsnet.

Fairyliz · 27/08/2025 06:27

cardibach · 26/08/2025 22:51

Yes you are.
You are absolutely allowed to fly your flag in your own house/garden.
What you aren’t allowed to do is litter random lampposts with it.

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Can we litter random lampposts with Palestine/Pride flags?

exasperatedflatmate · 27/08/2025 06:49

cardibach · 26/08/2025 22:51

Yes you are.
You are absolutely allowed to fly your flag in your own house/garden.
What you aren’t allowed to do is litter random lampposts with it.

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yes. Forget all the whys and wherefores and wherenots over flag flying. No one has ever said you can’t do it from your property. Nor that you can’t paint a giant wobbly red cross on your own house (funny how no one is spray painting their own property, eh??). But clambering over public property to do it? No. Spray painting or vandalising? No.

And flags on public property do get flown on the appropriate days. My town does so on the monarch’s birthday, on St George’s
Day, and probably other occasions I take no notice of. It’s a lie that flags aren’t flown. And if we flew them all the time it would render the special occasions I’ve mentioned meaningless.

so, flag people, fly away from your own property, paint giant crosses on your own houses that you’ll eventually have to wash off, but hands off public property thank you.

cardibach · 27/08/2025 08:00

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So just the left side of centre then. Centrist.

cardibach · 27/08/2025 08:02

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O, I don’t remember that rebrand because it didn’t happen. Loads said it did but the eggs carried on saying ‘Easter eggs’ as much as they ever had.

cardibach · 27/08/2025 08:03

Fairyliz · 27/08/2025 06:27

Can we litter random lampposts with Palestine/Pride flags?

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No. As I’ve said previously. No flags should be littered around public areas. Fly what you want on your own property.

WhereIsMyJumper · 27/08/2025 08:51

cardibach · 27/08/2025 08:03

No. As I’ve said previously. No flags should be littered around public areas. Fly what you want on your own property.

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But I think this is why the union flag/St George is being put up in the first place - because of double standards. Palestine flags, pride flags - they’re allowed to stay up but the nation’s flag isn’t.

If no flags were allowed to be attached to any public property, then fair enough. But that’s not what is happening. It has to be fair and equal.

Painting a peace symbol and a rainbow flag is still an act of vandalism. You can’t say one is and one isn’t. It’s the meaning people imbue on to these symbols which is the issue.

Original poster
Ilovemychocolate · 27/08/2025 08:56

Corcaigher · 27/08/2025 06:19

“Don’t lecture me on causes I should or shouldn’t be fighting for”

Is precisely what you are doing and making rude comments about people “educating themselves”.

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People can join in or not, entirely their decision.
And as I’ve already stated, I advised the person who posted that the flag was to be celebrated, should educate themself on what it was actually being used for now.
But you have multiple degrees, surely you have the intelligence to realise that?

OP posts:
Original poster
Ilovemychocolate · 27/08/2025 08:58

JollyUmberDeer · 26/08/2025 23:36

OP, you know this is the internet. If you want to seek attention, you have to do in real life with real people.

Says the person commenting on the thread!
😂

OP posts:
Heronwatcher · 27/08/2025 09:42

Ilovemychocolate · 26/08/2025 20:01

I suggest you educate yourself.

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I suggest you listen to what people with actual experience are telling you.

Honestly I think you and your daughter are a large part of the problem here- a blinkered unwillingness to see any nuance or work out how to deal with this in a sensible/ clever/ tactical way without just parroting your own perception isn’t going to help.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 27/08/2025 10:05

You would be better served channelling your energy and activism into causes with more direct impact and need

You're right of course, @Corcaigher, but while we can't know if this applies to OP my general experience is that some much prefer "gestures" to actually doing the hard graft ... and those gestures are invariably linked to whatever's deemed fashionable on social media and lends itself to images on their feed

Shame really, because those actually involved in the ongoing work could do with more support from the supposedly committed - except that oncee the headlines have moved on to something else they're often nowhere to be seen

LizzieW1969 · 27/08/2025 10:34

Tryinghardtobefair · 26/08/2025 09:40

PLEASE DON'T TAKE THESE FLAGS DOWN. Stunts like this put myself and other ethnic minorities in a really unsafe position. This "project" has been orchestrated by far right groups. So when they notice their flags are going missing, it's not you that will be blamed in their social media posts. It's people like me.

The fact that your first thought is to just rip the flags down and post it on Mumsnet actually shows what a position of privilege you hold. Do you know what MY first thought was? At least they're too distracted to approach me in the street when I'm with my child, and tell me to go back to where I came from. At least they're not shouting slurs at me, like they did post Brexit.

For the record, I'm British. I was born here. Both parents are British, three of my grandparents are not. One came over from Europe post war and worked as a nurse. The other two were part of the Windrush generation. ALL my grandparents have worked within the NHS. I am incredibly proud to be "British with diverse roots". Even though I will never be British to the people who hang up these flags.

This may be controversial but you are probably reacting like this because this is likely your first tangible experience of some of the UK's political undercurrents. My first memory of racism was when I was around age 8. But my first EXPERIENCE of racism was when I was a baby in my pram and someone walked past my mum and said things about the colour of my skin. I'm not saying you aren't aware these undercurrents exist. Just that these flags coming up are probably the first time you've not been able to escape it. I'm brown. I haven't ever been able to escape it.

The far right hanging flags from bridges might seem like a big deal to you. But in the scheme of things it's pretty minor, and it's keeping certain types of people quiet. I don't want them to disrespect our flag by turning it into a symbol of hate, I don't want them to hang our flags up and leave them to rot when the weather turns. But I really don't want minorities to be blamed for throwing flags away because it will make things so much worse for us.

Don't fuck up the lives and peace of ethnic minorities because you want to feel like you're doing something.

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

Edited

Why haven’t you replied to this post, OP? Your actions could have negative consequences for the non white people whom you claim to care so much about.

I agree with you about the current obsession with the St George’s flag being connected to the far right, but your well meaning actions could have unintended consequences. You should think about that.

JudgeJ · 27/08/2025 10:43

Fairyliz · 27/08/2025 06:27

Can we litter random lampposts with Palestine/Pride flags?

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Of course we can, they're the accepted, right-on flags, in the same way that there are accepted forms of racism.

It's people like the OP who are the recruiting sergeants for Reform and if they get more seats the OP will be in the vanguard of the critics. Nigel loves you!

the5thgoldengirl · 27/08/2025 10:44

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cardibach · 27/08/2025 10:50

WhereIsMyJumper · 27/08/2025 08:51

But I think this is why the union flag/St George is being put up in the first place - because of double standards. Palestine flags, pride flags - they’re allowed to stay up but the nation’s flag isn’t.

If no flags were allowed to be attached to any public property, then fair enough. But that’s not what is happening. It has to be fair and equal.

Painting a peace symbol and a rainbow flag is still an act of vandalism. You can’t say one is and one isn’t. It’s the meaning people imbue on to these symbols which is the issue.

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No, that’s not why they are going up and you know it.
I said the further painting is also vandalism - but when one lot is done, how should people respond? Maybe painting it back white would have been better.

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