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. 🇬🇷🇮🇪🇮🇳🇦🇫🇧🇸🇵🇰🇪🇸🇸🇩🇿🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Really, how funny

Oh I completely agree with you-that was my point. Racists always make out it’s just them expressing an opinion but then seem to get very offended when others express theirs. For free speech advocates they’re very fragile.

It's clearly about the motive. OP said:

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.

Let's not be disingenuous.

It's far more patriotic to put your national flag in the bin, imo, than it is to misuse it as a symbol of hate and division.

Do you know the women's England rugby are playing in the semi final tomorrow - not all flags are up for the same reason.

I can’t believe 50% of people have agreed with you. The Great British spirit truly is ruined. Nowhere else would the national flag cause so much offence. Truly embarrassing.

The arrest numbers are not up for debate.

With regards to crowd numbers I simply said the estimates are nonsense. That’s true on both sides. 110,000 is as ridiculous as the 3m claimed by the organisers. Both are propaganda numbers and I doubt either side genuinely believes the figures they are using are in anyway accurate. That’s to be expected.

Well done for taking them down OP. All these people pretending they "just don't understand" why a sudden incitement by Yaxley Lennon to "raise the flags" and paint roundabouts and god knows what else is racist, can go to hell frankly. Pathetic.

The flags (used in this way) are racist

The flags look tacky

Most decent people want nothing to do with flag shaggers

The end.

Its disturbing how many people are happy to go along with, or support, a march organised by Tommy Robinson - who both founded, and has well publicised links with several far-right organisations, including the BNP, and anti-islam groups, and market it as patriotism, and pride in their country.

I think Brexit showed the level of distrust and disillusionment in the UK, but far right ideology seems to be gaining traction across Europe and the US as well as the UK.

Oh dear, someone else disappointed in dh/a family member/friends/the U.K. etc because they happen to have a different opinion 😄
You do realise not everyone has to see things the way you do. It saves feeling regularly disappointed when you come to terms with it.
I guess the people resorting to putting up flags feel disappointed it’s the only way to highlight their concerns

It makes me quite sad that racists are using our flag as part of their message. They're turning our flag into a symbol of racism. They're ruining patriotism for actual patriots, they're demonising our flag and our country.

You want to be racist, be racist, but you don't speak for all of us so don't involve our flag in your message.

None of the numbers are up for debate. It's just wishful thinking on your behalf.

The hypocrisy of this is attitude is both pervasive and laughable. It’s so often coupled with people who bang on about being Christians. Just as you do.

Deuteronomy 10:18
He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

Matthew 25:36-36
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

Our council have stated they will not remove flags from lamposts/bridges as it is too risky !

The flag-wavers have assigned that message to the flags-not the rest of us.

I agree with this.
I actually live somewhere that does have the flags out all year round and has done since around the time of Queen Victoria but we've not had a single rogue one crop up, which has been a very pleasant surprise as there are some quiet dodgy areas of my town (like anywhere). I'm hoping that will long remain the case.

Good for you OP. You know exactly what the people hanging those flags meant when they put them up and I love that you took an action that says not in my village. Good for you!

This is true, but a lot of rugby fans will not want to fly the flag now because it has been appropriated by the far right. It's a shame but I do understand where they're coming from.

Your comment makes no sense. Estimates of 110,000 and 3m can’t both be correct.

You appear to be taking one estimate as fact to suit your argument. That really is wishful thinking on your behalf.

Where was St George from? Was he English?

Did anyone see some people got confused and painted the Danish flag on a roundabout?

Well if the people putting up the flags feel 'disappointed' maybe they need to take responsibility for their own lives and do something about it, as opposed to blaming people without the opportunities they've had? Get some qualifications and get a better job? They live in 'Great Britain' after all .... education is free. If the country is so 'great' then what's their excuse?

These are our national flags! If you live here then its really not a stretch to have to look at our national flag in the same way you would in any other country. Shame on you.

Attaching a flag to a public lamppost attracts a £5000 fine.

Perhaps you should move to another country if you want to do it.

You're hilarious. You're just saying what you want to be true, not what actually is. And I've seen the aerial (note the correct spelling) pictures and there was nowhere near a million people there. Enjoy your delusion and confirmation bias. 😂

I have thought twice about putting the flag up that is for sure. It's only going up on Saturday now where as I would usually put it up the whole tournament.

I did not say those 2 things were specifically racist, I merely highlighted that they did them whilst being racist.

And actually, the two are directly relevant considering they claim to be carrying out their racist fuckwittery “for our women and children”, whilst simultaneously assaulting and sexually harrassibf them.