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?

Oh c'mon..

Full disclosure I work in mental health. And live in a rangers fc/celtic fc area. They are absolutely used to express anti immigration and racism and people who I and colleagues have given therapy to are terrified. Living in their own country. Born in this country. It’s often but not always to express to people to go home or suggesting they are dangerous because of the colour of their skin, or that their asylum seeking isn’t genuine. Absolutely disgusting. Please do not vote for NF. Begging you. My view. Not that of my work.

Billionaires - not immigrants, no matter where they were born. Untouchable. We should be grateful they exist.

British people living and working abroad - not immigrants, 'ex-pats'. Celebrated for getting away from this miserable island and making a better life for themselves. The irony here is too subtle.

White people living and working in the UK - not immigrants, even if they are. Australians, Americans, Canadians, French - if you're white, you're alright. The exception to this is...

White people living and working in the UK from Eastern European countries - immigrants that took your job.

Brown and black people living and working in the UK that speak unaccented English - not immigrants.

Brown and black people living and working in the UK that speak accented English - immigrants, viewed with deep suspicion, probably a terrorist or something.

Asylum seekers/economic immigrants here illegally and waiting to be processed - not even people.

except that literally isn’t happening 🙄

I’m so amazed at all the people who are responding like “la la la flags are sooo great there’s nothing wrong with appreciating your country !!!” - that level of privilege must be nice!

I was in Canary Wharf last weekend when a group of aggressive protestors with flags decided to storm the shopping centre wearing balaclavas and abusing police/the general public, some had even brought their young children!! It was really scary to witness to be honest. If you’re genuinely able to say that you have absolutely no concerns about the flags/the motivation behind the sudden surge in people hanging flags/the rise of right-wing fascism and xenophobia, I hope you realise how lucky and privileged you are.

When and where is this happening please?

I don't think you can know the motivations of every individual putting up the flags and I don't really think it matters - in a free society, people have the right to offend. They have exactly the same right to put up the flags as do Palestine protestors and I find those flags far more personally distressing.

Probably because they had half the EDL threatening the school.

Someone posted a video of these characters recently, all dancing around to Fit and You Know It. All white, middle aged, pot bellied, red faced men swilling beer and draped in the George Cross, intimidating passers by. I always think of Al Murray's Pub Landlord now when I see an England flag. We've fallen so far as a nation since all that national pride and unity of 2012, when nobody had a problem with those displaying the Union flag and all communities were proud to fly it. It actually makes me really sad at how far Farage, Tommy and the like have dragged us down with hatred and division.

I’m in Glasgow and Scotland flags are all over the place, in other cities too. Part of some facebook protest against immigration. It’s really gross.

The same school with litter trays for furries.

You know, the one your friend's sister's kid goes to.

Why would you find Palestine flags personally distressing? Really strange 😵‍💫

Dry your eyes.

I thought it was an OTT reaction to the death of the Duchess of Kent 😆
There are loads near me. It’s like a dog pissing to mark its territory. It’s very obvious the message that is being sent out. As someone who looks ethnically typically British (although I’m not) I find it irritating but if I wasn’t white or didn’t have an Anglo sounding name I think I would probably be quite intimidated

Glad you liked it, hun. Back under your rock then :D

Every other country has them up? Really? Where? What a strange rationale.

My argument was that immigrants are net contributors to the economy. The facts support this. If you want more info there is absolutely nothing to stop you looking it up. I very clearly set out that my argument is less than 0.5% of government spending and immigrants generate more revenue than that. If you don’t like the facts that’s very much a you problem.

They don't have them dropping off lamposts on roundabouts though so they? Some people in other countries fly them on their property, and they are flown on public buildings (as they are here) but it's not really the same thing.

So referring to psychotic left socialist nutters isn't name calling?

So you do have issues with people coming to this country, to live and work here if they have a large bank balance? Just to be clear.

Surely you know that’s not what is being discussed here?

there are many people on this thread who are either extremely ignorant or wilfully obtuse

I'm Jewish and an immigrant and seeing them makes me uncomfortable for myself and my children...I have no problem with the flag at all, but if the context of the flags/graffiti is making people frightened in their own country, then yes. It's a problem.

The twit in our village would love to think he’s intimidating people.
Sad little life, with grubby little flag that nobody is scared of.

The flags are designed to spread division and intimidate people, nothing British to be proud of here!