I took down some flags and DH wasn’t happy

[LittleChopper]

On my commute today, I noticed someone had hung three large St George flags on a bridge coming out of our village. They have been popping up everywhere but this particular instance I thought “I’m not having that”. On the way home I pulled over and took them down.

when I got home and DH asked why I was binning three large flags I told him and he.. had some interesting opinions. He told me I shouldn’t be pissing off people in the village, that they have every right to hang an England flag in England, and that I’m being too political.

For a start, I would argue that I’ve always been quite strongly opinionated so he shouldn’t be surprised I did it.

Just as others have the right to their opinion I have mine. We have people in the village who are migrants… why should they have to look at that. It’s clear why they were hanging there given what’s going on at the moment and I’ve never see a flag hanging in the village in the decade we’ve been here so why else would they be there now.

I’m just so disappointed with it all. With the UK, with DH.

Next time maybe I’ll add to the collection instead. 🇬🇷🇮🇪🇮🇳🇦🇫🇧🇸🇵🇰🇪🇸🇸🇩🇿🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

I wonder if you are OK with pro-Palestine supporters calling for Jihad on our streets and terrorising Jewish people going about their (legal) business?

They have proved they are 'up for a fight'.

The fact is, it’s legal to put a flag up on or outside your own property or to fly a flag from a properly erected flagpole. It is illegal and potentially dangerous to attach a flag to bridges, road signs, lamp posts and other types of street furniture. It is costing councils a fortune in time and resources to remove them before they get blown down and end up on someone’s windscreen.

Yanbu. If it's not on their property it's litter. If any one in my estate sticks anything to a lamp-post or railing then it's coming down. If they want it in their garden then they can get on with it, just don't pollute the street.

"There was probably a million in attendance ..." Probably? No, there wasn't, and you can't just make stuff up unless you want to lose all credibility. Official estimates put the figure at between 100,000 and 150,000 - nothing close to a million. The Met police reckon 110,000. And so what about people not being able to attend - that argument applies to the other side too.
Everywhere you read online may be supportive, but that's because of your sources of information and confirmation bias. You might want to think about that (but you probably won't).

Its not a symbol of division and exclusion
It's not far right
The more you push people in to a corner and call them racist, because they have different views from you ,the more likely we are to get a reform government next time .
People are proud to be British..that doesn't make them far right .
A lot of people are worried about immigration,that doesn't make them far right either .
But yeah crack on seeing the flags as racist,crack on pushing your agenda the UK is racist,and watch more and more people vote reform at the next election.
It's not racist to wave a flag ,it's not racist to be worried about immigration.
I am worried about a reform government,
and people like you causing divide in our society by labelling people who fly flags as racist,is a sure fire way to get one

👏👏👏👏👏

YouTube 😂 the height of quality journalistic reporting.

Neither side are covering themselves with glory.

I'm not ashamed to be English or British and I'm not going to let a bunch of racists hijack my national flag, or those anti flag people make me feel ashamed to be English.

Anyway the Red Roses are playing this weekend and they're doing well. Something for us English to be proud of!

It wasn’t an insult, it was an observation.

Yes, I was listening to the radio and someone referred to it being like 'Ulsterisation of England'. That is exactly what it feels like.

You're going to cause trouble. The village are going to hate you. Wouldn't be suprised if they key your car when word gets around, you're the one taking down flags.

Lots of disingenuous comments.

Flags are poor communicators of intent. I was speaking to my brother about all this. He served in the armed forces and is far more patriotic than me. He is both antiracist having served alongside ethnic minorities and disgusted that this campaign has seen England crosses painted on war memorials.

Like most reasonable people, he won’t put an England flag up at the present time because he does not want to be associated with the current wave of far right activity, or upset his neighbours.

We should be able to reclaim the flag from the far right, but now is not the right time.

The irony of this comment won't be lost on anyone other than you. 😂

Never felt more glad that I don’t live in a village 😳

It wasn't an 'observation' at all, so stop being disengenious. It was an assumption on your part (which you admitted) that someone was "nasty" and "stupid" because they didn't agree with your opinion.

It says a great deal more about you than them and none of it positive.

People are proud to be British..that doesn't make them far right

Interesting how many (more) people are "proud to be British" and want to convey that with a flag, in the last few weeks.... what led to the increase in pride??
Weren't they proud to be British before...? Can't they put a flag up at home, rather than on a lamp post? Why did they not have a flag displaying their patriotism already?

I have a neighbour who puts a union flag in the window for events/sporting occasions...so its been out for the VE day commemoration, last year the Olympics and men's euros, this year for the women's euros. They dont have it there all the time and it hasn't been out since the euros ended.

I think people who ask "why does an English flag offend you" are being deliberately obtuse.

These flags have not been put up with positive national spirit in mind. It's absolute bellends doing it with racist intentions and they think they're being clever by saying "you shouldn't get offended by thr English flag"

Well i fucking am when it's use to make people feel uncomfortable.

Some people on this thread are being purposely obtuse.

At the moment yes, but I don't think that that's a bad thing and I think it's pretty apt to use the flag.

The Thai owner of the Thai restaurant around the corner from me has started flying the Thai flag. Will you take her flag down?

or is that flag ok with you?

There was plently of black, brown, migrant people marching on Saturday too - are they also racist? My polish neighbour went to the march!

Not sure about plenty, but I am sure there were.

Being a bit detached from demonstrating, I walked west from St Pancras on Saturday morning having forgotten what was planned. In the station there were head hair free men arriving in quantity and I assumed 'oh football is it?' until I noticed t-shirts listing D-Day beaches on the sleeves and other signifiers. Heading west I saw a lot gathering at/outside the Euston Flyer part blocking the pavement I was walking along. They were noisy in that males making themselves known way and in high spirits. They were generally big white men (I'm a medium-slight woman who out-whites them in the pale department due to genes from Ireland and Ukraine and they got out of the way for me perhaps because I pass) who split between 30s/40s goes to the gym and 50s/60s maybe should go to the gym types. Coming back more than an hour later many were on the pavement outside the Rocket (diagonally across from the Flyer) and a good number were beered up.

No women with these ones, but there clearly were on the march. It felt like a football crowd without any children and the less muscular dads.

There were football fans about later, probably heading for Arsenal or West Ham, some of whom were making a lot more noise.

Why do you think theyve only recently put it up?

I'm Irish so I don't know if that's a reference or not, but I will say that there has been peaceful protests here, not aligned with anyone, just local people and the speakers just expressed concern and were labelled as racist.

"Those of you putting up flags are being used." Exactly this. And they're all too stupid to see it. 🙄

Well if you bothered to look on the news when it was happening you could of watched it there. Could of seen the police forcibly pushing the protesters and causing problems, could of seen all the different people at the protest but you choose to be ignorgant yet complain about it. Not my problem.