Fucking flags

[xmaspud3]

I know this has probably been done to death on here and there will be lots of threads about it already but I cant be bothered to trawl through the site for them so here I am.

I’m so irritated by the England flags popping up everywhere. There has been an influx put up in my area over the last week, it seems to be increasing by the day. I don’t hate the flag, but I hate the fact it is being used to send a clear message by racists. People aren’t doing it to be patriotic they are doing it to be hateful towards those that they don’t feel ‘belong’ in their country.

I don’t want to see all of these flags in my area. If people are entitled to put them up then why am I not entitled to go and cut the fuckers down? And don’t get me started on the spray painting of public roundabouts and road signage by people who allegedly love their country so much that they are vandalising it at the expense of public money.

If I see one more person give a ‘big well done to whoever has erected the flags on xyz street’ on Facebook I will explode. Does anyone else feel ragey over it?

I don't think anyone defending it as "just liking our flag" is being anything other than disingenuous. It's a very clever stunt to pull in many ways, as they know it's almost impossible for anyone to say "you're not allowed to fly your national flag".

No problem with people having flags out for the football or whatever, crack on.

But this isn't about bringing the country together to support each other and the national team, it's about sowing division and hatred.

I absolutely fucking HATE it. Grew up in Northern Ireland in the 80s and 90s and have seen what happens. Not just flags there of course but painting the bloody kerbstones too.

(FUCK, am I giving people ideas?????)

What's next? Where does it stop? Is the next step riots, armed forces on the street, vigilante justice / kneecappings? Feels like we are sitting on top of a populist tinderbox (bonfire) with a lighted match in our hands....

And yes, maybe I am overreacting.

But given the number of times I was almost injured in bomb blasts / evacuated from school or work due to bombscares / had my car checked regularly for bombs on my way to work as a SEVENTEEN year old, you'll have to understand my frame of reference.....

Yes. It looks ugly.

Is it just the England and Union Jack flags that give you the rage OP? Seems overly dramatic. Go and have a nice cup of tea. You might feel better then.

Yes of course, they are just "jolly" little things. Put up by people all at the same time, by sheer coincidence!!! Nothing more than that.

Jolly hockey sticks what-ho.

Oh, they've been put up at the same time that immigrant bashing has increased? Wow, what are the chances?

And yet it's appearing on the walls of mosques, and accompanied by 'Go home' graffiti on Chinese takeaways owned by people like your mum.

That is not true. Wiki doesn’t elaborate how it started only the date. The school has since given the girl an unreserved apology.
After that it gathered pace.
Are you saying that didn’t happen in the school? And didn’t ignite a local reaction?

Living up to your username, there.

It's not illegal to enter the UK for the purpose of claiming asylum, as has been pointed out to you on other threads on this topic.

Apparently kids in flags of other countries were sent home as well, because school had told them not to come in dressed in flags. They were supposed to be dressed in a cultural costume and as nobody has ever traditionally dressed in a Union Jack (or any other national flag) it didn’t fit the brief.

She ignored the rules and so she was sent home to change.

And didn't nationalism in Northern Ireland end WELL?

Well then don't let the racists claim them. Everyone who loves Britain or England and being British or English should fly them. Britons and English people of every color and origin should fly them. Take the flag back.

I'm afraid that in England the Union flag and more recently St George's cross have been hijacked by the far Right who use them as symbols of "patriotism" that is actually racism and currently Islamophobia. About the only time it is generally in wide use in the way it should be is when the England football team are playing big matches.

Yeah that looks shit too (although most of it looks like chalk). I didn't say it's only shit flags that look shit. Other things can look shit too.

Thank you!
I think maybe because we (Canadians) are all so far apart in distance we like to use the flag to unify ourselves.
We also love distinguishing ourselves from our southern neighbours! Ha ha

That is simply untrue ffs. Read the article.

I honestly think the best thing to do is to leave them to get filthy and dirty then remove them as an eyesore.

People will get tired of them soon enough when they look like old dish rags. Running around removing them just encourages the idiots.

Ridiculous that people are talking about "patriotism" and then making us look like the bloody Yanks. Isn't British culture supposed to be about restraint,

Exactly this. There’s a nastiness, divisiveness and aggression behind them.
So called ‘patriots’ are using the flags to fuel racism further.
They are sending out clear signals saying people are not welcome.
I despise the flags and everything they symbolise.

If your mum is an immigrant, it is aimed at her too. And you. Unfortunately. If you're white, you might get away with it for a bit longer, but they'll turn on you sooner or later.

Maybe we should ask ourselves why that is? We should be encouraging British youngsters to train as Doctors not relying on overseas people.

Maybe we should be tougher with the unemployed (not including disabilities) and say that anyone who is unemployed for 6 months has to take any job?

It is our flag, it doesn’t ‘belong’ to any one group.

Are you one of those who doesn't mind transwomen in women's prisons?

@R0ckandHardPlace
She ignored the rules and so she was sent home to change.

If she had broken the rules why did the school apologise?