Flying the England flag: I agree with the Far Right (sort of)

In recent weeks, St George’s flags have been appearing across the country, celebrated by some as a show of national pride, but viewed by others as a worrying signal of rising anti-immigration sentiment.

The debate comes on the heels of a controversy involving 12-year-old Courtney Wright, who was barred from participating in her school’s Cultural Celebration Day while wearing a Union Jack dress. Courtney had planned to give a speech about British heritage, which had sentiments that teachers deemed racist, as well as labelling her outfit “unacceptable” and asking her to leave for safety reasons. When her father shared the story online, it sparked widespread outrage over whether expressions of British identity are being unfairly policed.

At the same time, tensions escalated in Epping, where riots broke out outside hotels housing refugees following a harassment incident. Union Jacks and St George’s crosses were a prominent feature of the protests, which quickly turned into a standoff: some participants framed their presence as a defence of national pride, while others condemned the scapegoating of refugee communities under the guise of patriotism.

Since then, flags have multiplied. Rows of them attached to lamp posts appeared overnight in Bromsgrove, Worcester, Bradford, Newcastle and Norwich. The initiative ‘Operation Raise the Colours’ has gained momentum.  More than £18,000 has been raised, some of the funds have been used to hire cherry pickers to fly flags and paint (vandalise) roads, bridges and roundabouts with painted St George’s crosses.  Flags have even been painted across roundabouts in Birmingham and Bromsgrove, sometimes in full view of police officers.

Who’s behind it?

The reasoning people give for the flags varies. Some are overtly racist. Others claim it’s harmless patriotism. A few argue it’s simply “a lovely way to show pride in your country.” 

Interviewed by the BBC, Army and RAF veteran Alex Smith, from Hessle in East Yorkshire, said he put up a union jack flag in his back garden "out of respect".

"It's just my way of giving back," he said.

"Putting a soldier up there with it shows that we're not all ignorant to those who served and gave our lives for us."

Kim, from Lincoln, also flies the flags in her garden. She said, "I don't understand why it should be divisive.

"It's our national flag, so we should all come together and share it because we all live under this flag, so why shouldn't we all celebrate?"

Interesting detail: many people hoisting the flags do it at night, wearing balaclavas. The organising group has received money from Britain First. The response to them has also been fascinating, again ranging from pleased to neutral, to disturbed and disgraced. 

Lewis Neilsen, from Stand Up to Racism, warned that the surge in flags is "really dangerous" given the rise of far-right demonstrations nationwide.

"What our research has shown is that the same people organising the far right demonstrations are the same people who have started this campaign about Raise Your Colours," he said.

My take

So to explain my shocking headline…I do see some value in what some of the far right are saying. It’s not bad to feel pride in your country.

I went on my own personal journey to hold the horrors of slavery, colonialism, and empire with the good too. For years, I embraced the (classically British) self-deprecating view of our country, laughing at our flaws and genuinely embarrassed at our history. I felt that there was nothing I could proudly say was actually British (I’m talking tea, especially). Much of what I enjoyed didn’t seem unique because it had been transported around the world by colonialism. After putting serious thought into this, and actually getting to know the UK better via trips across the length and breadth of the country, including beautiful spots on Exmoor and the Yorkshire Dales, I realised that I can have pride in Britain, and hold all the aspects of our history, culture and geography together - the good, the bad and the complex.

I appreciate our multi culturalism (and acknowledge that it can be attributed to welcoming refugees, inviting foreign labour forces and forcing connections with countries across the world via empire), and our traditions (which may not seem unique because we’re so used to them and we forced them on many other countries, but until you experience a wedding from another culture, for example, you will see that there is a difference and we do in fact have traditions). I’ve come to really appreciate our beautiful countryside and our artsy cities, our love of queuing and our dry sense of humour. So while for the first (and most likely only) time in my life I kind of agree with some flag-wavers, that yes it’s not bad to have pride in our country. That’s where the (semi) agreement ends. 

Pride in Britain isn’t wrong. But this isn’t what’s happening here.

I sadly don’t think the majority of the flaggers are in fact trying to see the good in Britain at such a divided time.

Why these flags don’t feel like pride

The current wave of flags doesn’t feel like a celebration. It feels like a divisive warning. For many, the sheer visibility of these flags is highly intimidating.  They are a thinly veiled sign of ‘sides’, and a potential warning for people from ethnic minority backgrounds or potentially anyone who may disagree with those putting the flags up, calling back to the history of violent acts from EDL and National Front. For many, the flag feels like violence, or violence waiting to happen. It does not feel welcoming, unified or safe. 

Online discussions have drawn parallels to Northern Ireland, highlighting the similarities of places marked by paintings on curbs, walls and with flags that symbolise that someone from a certain background, ethnicity or faith is not welcome here. 

Sociologists suggest some people see flag-waving as a form of protest at a time when demonstrations are more tightly policed. But what and who is being protested seems very much about ethnicity and nationality.

And here’s the delicious irony: St George wasn’t British. He was a Roman soldier, born in modern-day Turkey, martyred for his Christian beliefs. Despite being multicultural to the core, he never came to Britain. If anything makes me proud of Britain, it’s that even our most “patriotic” symbol is global at heart.