AIBU to think tatty lampost flags are imposing on communities?

[Warmlight1]

To think.that people continuing to put up tatty flags on lamposts are imposing on communities?
There are people putting them up again near roads. They hang by a thread eventually causing a clear hazard. It looks disrespectful and costs money to make safe. And the intention looks less and less like they give a fig for anyone especially in diverse places.
Everywhere has a civic hub where flags are flown properly at the proper time.

I do love festive flags though during special events. Summer fairs, and jubilees. Made our street look lovely then.

I don’t mind them at all, but you can contact your council if they bother you. Some councils remove, others don’t. Litter bothers me more.

Thats lovely:-) why were the statues taken down? Deemed offensive i can imagine!😭

I think they look a shabby mess and lower the tone of an area. Happy to see a proper flag on a flagpole but these cheap flags tied to lamposts look stupid. I also think they’re racist

And then some have other sculptures on them.

I think that looks great (and the flag too!) 😀More sculptures on roundabouts are needed!

Not when they’re used specifically to intimidate and lay claim …

But it's not just flags.

The organisers of the flag hanging have also been violent to people who were removing the flags:

https://hopenothate.org.uk/2026/05/25/raise-the-colours-who-are-the-playground-bullies-plaguing-british-streets/

Oxfordshire County Council had to get a court injunction to get them to stop.

That's your interpretation. I don't see how that can be intimidating. Other countries proudly fly their flag without this overwrought handwringing - why can't we?!

Yes, and it's all a fucking eyesore. It's illegal fly posting.

So, have you reported them to your local council? Or is it just England flags you have a problem with?

I mean if you claim part of another country and then wall to wall cover it in your flag you don’t think that’s done to be intimidating I don’t know what to tell you.

It’s a difficult one in my opinion. While I understand people flying English flags outside their own home (totally fine), I personally find it disrespectful when there are St George flags put all over public roads. A lot of the people who are putting these up (not all) are doing it to send a message that “England is for the English” and as the mother of a half African child whose father is an immigrant and who has a lot of friends who migrated here, I do find it offensive. But that’s just my opinion. I also know groups of people who take them down in diverse areas for that exact reason x

We do.

Churches, council buildings, royal places and other public buildings fly the flag. Pubs, shops and other commercial buildings fly flags and bunting. Some people have flag poles in their gardens on which they are free to fly what they like.

Crudely cable tying cheap flags to lampposts, however, is not only tacky and illegal, it's part of an organised campaign of intimidation organised by a carried out by violent racist things. Why would you be proud of that?

https://hopenothate.org.uk/2026/05/25/raise-the-colours-who-are-the-playground-bullies-plaguing-british-streets/

I haven't reported any of it to either of my local councils as the city council are too fucking useless to do anything about anything and the county council love a flag, as mentioned earlier in the thread.

Because, and I don't know how many times this has to be repeated, it's illegal to dangle stuff off lamposts over the road. If people want flags they have windows and most people have front and back gardens to pop a flag up.

Our racist flag raisers leave litter everywhere. And one was jailed after taking part in a violent protest.

Some were replaced by public art, others were stolen by wee hallions. You still see them every now and again. The one on the roundabout at the park is still there.☺️

I would be interested to hear if people who oppose immigration so much actually know any immigrants personally? Much of my friendship group are immigrants or children of immigrants and my experience is that they want to come here for a better life, work hard and contribute to our society. Again, if people wish to fly flags on their own property, go ahead, but a lot of the flag flying on public land is to send a message of anti-immigration. I can ALWAYS tell if someone is right wing based on how they look at me and my children when we’re out.

That's just one of many photos of the litter our lot have left. They're too thick to even pick up after themselves and have a general tidy of the area. That's left to people like me and the council.

You don't see how a campaign organised by street thugs convicted of violence, possession of a firearm, banned from football and currently facing a murder charge might be intimidating?

'Claim part of another country' ? I don't understand what you mean.

When I visit another country, I expect to see flags flying of the country I am visiting. I don't get intimidated. I like to see it.

The problem is with this generalisation that flying the flag in this country is negative. There is an inference that we should be ashamed of the national flag. I disagree.

Yes, tatty flags don't look great but this judgement that flying the flag is racist is insulting.

Flying the flag is not racist.

Allying yourself to a racist campaign run by violent racists is at least racist-adjacent.

My argument is about flags in general. There doesn't have to be an all or nothing approach.

Just because I like to see flags flying doesn't mean I am allying myself to a racist campaign!

I quite like them @Warmlight1 but I live oop North in a multicultural area (not perfect, lots of tension at times. You know, real life). People seem pretty good at changing them when they get tatty. I like the colour and seeing different cultures being represented, even the St George's flag shock horror.
I hope they are maintained in winter and not left to fade etc, my opinion might be different then.

She's not wrong though