Faking a protest - utterly pointless.

[UninterestedBeing12]

I was at the last night of the proms. I go if I can be bothered to get through the process of getting a ticket.

I've been a handful of times in the last few years. This time was pretty exceptional.

If any of you saw it, the entire auditorium is filled with EU flags and people wearing EU berets.

If you watch it, it looks like a staged protest. It looks deliberate that all these people brought these flags with them to make a point, and it always looks like that.

But here's the thing every single time I go there is a pressure group that attends. I'm sure many of them don't even have tickets to the event. I think they attend just to hang around outside the hall and hassle, people actually going.

They come armed with masses of EU flags and these hats and they literally don't leave anyone alone handing them out.

The queue starts forming for the arena and gallery quite early before five pm. This pressure group, don't stop combing the queue and approaching anyone they can to hand out these free EU flags and hats.

Most people just take them because they're being handed out for free. Especially if they haven't brought their own flag So they've got something to wave. Equally I saw a few of them had been thrown in the bin.

But this group is so persistent, it actually gets quite oppressive. I think in the hour I was in the queue, I told somebody from this group. about five or six times no thank you to an EU flag. I voted remain but enough is enough, the vote was nearly a decade ago.

Watching the Last night of the proms it looks very much like a protest with all these eu flags filling the arena in particular. But here's the thing there was no organisation there.

None of these people brought those flags with them. They were literally handed out by the same pressure group that attend every year and don't leave people in the queue alone constantly trying to push these flags and hats onto people. I could see a few people took them just to be left alone and then threw them in the bin later on in the queue.

What is the point of creating a fake protest or making a fake statement that isn't actually there.

None of those people got up that morning and decided they were all going to bring eu flags to the last night of the proms. Virtually no one had brought one with them. They were all handed them out by a group in the queue for free. Almost no one decided to take a EU flag to the proms.

It’s much less to do with the EU right now than it is fighting FACISM after what happened on Saturday. 9 police officers seriously injured defending this country against Facists.

So thank you to all waving the EU flag as a counterpoint to the union flag and England flag. Hopefully at some point we can reclaim our flags.

until then we FIGHT FACISM.

Oh for god’s sake.

Ive never seen a post so dripping with desperation!

Most people are in favour of a return to the EU. Most people probably never wanted to leave but many were too complacent to vote in an advisory referendum that they thought was a shoe-in (more fool them but never mind).

The proms are generally attended by well educated people, who by and larger are more in favour of rejoining than those with less education. Statistically.

No one is going to wave an EU flag unless they want to.

Many more than 9 were injured. But you're absolutely right on everything else. I have absolutely no pride in the UK at the moment, so won't be displaying the national flag until I recognise our country again. It's utterly fucking depressing.

This nails it for me.

Intimidating how? What did they do when you said no thanks?

I’d have happily taken a flag. Lucky you, getting a ticket.

Yep, spot on.

Bless you. Reading comprehension was missed off the curriculum at your school wasn't it.

What I actually said more than once was nobody was that interested in staging a rejoin protest. There is no e u protest at the proms every year.

If they had been, they would have brought their own flags. Virtually no one does. The only reason there are EU flags at the proms every year is because this pressure group hand them out to everybody and they dont leave people alone. What was funny was seeing the huge pile in the bin just inside the hall Because so many people took them just to shut them up and then binned them.

Much as I dislike 'this', well 'this' sums it up perfectly.

Also this. Besides, LNofP is always bedecked in EU flags and Ode to Joy is frequently played due to its inherently unifying characteristics and meaning.

It’s the flag of Europe which was adopted by the EU - we are still very much part of Europe and I saw a lot of other flags from European countries so maybe it’s not the problem you think it is

Quite.
An extremist, multi-billionaire narcissist out of his head on god know’s what who is so brave that he uses one of his children as a human shield, not a citizen of our nation, appears on a big screen in our capital city calling for revolution and the violent overthrow of our democratically elected government to the whoops of the attendant hard of thinking. The OP, however, is rattled by a few people handing out flags that represent unity at a peaceful, joyful event to the point that they’re moved to start a thread.

The world is truly going mad.

Reading comprehension was missed off the curriculum at your school wasn't it.

Bless you. Was apostrophe usage missed off your school curriculum?
Youre one of those...

Definitely not 'utterly pointless' OP as you are posting about it here!

'For 5 years straight, #EUflagmafia have given out EU flags at the Last Night of the Proms in support of the music industry, which will suffer terribly if they lose their freedom of movement. Hence, 'Thank EU for the music'.

The Royal Albert Hall’s official website issues guidelines about flag use and stated: 'Flags are permitted at the Proms and are traditionally part of the Last Night celebrations. We have no objections to concertgoers bringing flags, including, of course, the EU flag, provided they do not interfere with the smooth running of the festival.''

What was funny was seeing the huge pile in the bin just inside the hall Because so many people took them just to shut them up and then binned them.

Actually I think it's funny that you are so annoyed by the many flags that weren't thrown away.

Why not take your own flag next time OP? Or wear a MAGA hat, then they’ll leave you alone.

He basically called for civil war and got away with it. I cannot tell you how angry I am about that!

😂😂

Not only are you unreasonable, you are extremely rude.

Actually I get what you’re saying about having a group of people harassing you at the door being annoying.

However, once in the Hall, people make THE CHOICE to wave the flags. At that point, theyre choosing to make a protest.
Maybe it’s not one that required a lot of effort on their part or planning but they are choosing to do. They could have put the flags in the bin as others have done.
In that sense, yes they’re protesting. Theyre making their views known. And it’s ok for them to do so.

But someone DID wake up that morning and decide to stage a protest. The group handing out the flags. Then the others who have accepted the flag are showing their support. They know what the flag stands for.

Although tbh I would have thought nothing of seeing lots of EU flags in the crowd.
It wouldn’t have crossed my mind to wonder how people came by those flags, or assign meaning to how they did.

I also seriously doubt you voted remain if 10 years on you’re “intimidated” by someone I’m assuming is a middle-aged guardian-reading softie kindly offering you a free EU flags!

Yes exactly. OP acts like the people in the crowd have no agency.

Most people have more going on in their lives than to start threads about something pretty inconsequential.

Oh, do grow up. It's a flag, and it's no more 'utterly pointless' than any other flag. People are just as entitled to wave it as any other flag and no, the Albert Hall should not ask people to 'leave the area' for handing out EU flags any more than they should ask people to 'leave the area' for handing out national flags. Get a grip.

It doesn't matter whether people have brought their own flags or whether they waved one they were given in the queue. Nobody's forced to take one. People who don't want to express support for a united Europe won't wave one.

If you've ever been to any form of event where people wave flags, banners, signs or anything else, you will see groups giving them out to people who agree with them. It's not about 'they would have brought their own flag if they cared', it's about people thinking 'you know, that's a good idea and I'd like to join in with it'. FWIW, I've been on marches for causes I care about and I've never made my own sign; I've always taken a free ready-made one from an organisation I support or am a member of, because why not?

Same at sporting events. I support a football team. Occasionally at big games team flags or whatever get handed out for people to wave. I often take one. That's not 'fake' - it's simply someone offering you something to express your support. It's not pretending to support something that you didn't previously support.

Nobody who took an EU flag and waved it did so without caring about what it symbolises. It's not offensive. It's not like waving an EU flag somehow stops anyone else from waving a union jack.

this pressure group hand them out to everybody and they dont leave people alone

They're not hanging the EU flag from every public lamp post along a road, or spraying it on mini roundabouts and zebra crossings, are they? They're giving people the choice of showing support or not, on an individual basis.

Let's not pretend your issue is that you were being pestered. If people had been offering you a flag representing something you agree with, you wouldn't be soiling yourself with fury over it like this.

For context, the EU flag flying is all to do with how Brexit affects touring musicians. EU flags have been given out by #EUflagmafia for the past 5 years.

I didn't know anything much about this but here is an article I found on the issue:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-musicians-bryant-europe-eu-b2656032.html