Tower Hamlets in East London and Birmingham councils have faced backlash after removing Union and St. George’s flags from public spaces.
In Tower Hamlets, British flags had been put up as part of the ‘Operation Raise the Colours’ campaign but were removed by the council, whose spokesman said flags attached to ”council-owned infrastructure without permission … may be removed as part of routine maintenance.”
At the same time, Palestinian banners were publicly displayed for months, leading to accusations of a “two-tier bias” because they were not removed sooner.
In Birmingham, hundreds of flags were also removed from lampposts, even as the city library was lit in the colours of Pakistan and India to mark their independence.
Despite being raised up to 25 feet off the ground, the local authority claimed the flags are ”dangerous” and posed a risk to pedestrians and motorists.
The Shadow Justice Secretary, Robert Jenrick, said: “Tower Hamlets council have allowed Palestinian flags to be publicly displayed on lampposts but not the flag of our country. This absurd national self-loathing must end.”
Former Conservatives, including former leaders Sir Iain Duncan Smith and former Home Secretary Suella Braverman also condemned the removals.
Braverman described the national flag as “a great source of pride and patriotism” that “should be flown from as many places as possible as often as possible.”
Despite ’safety concerns’ cited by the councils, patriotic flag campaigns continue in Swindon, Bradford, Newcastle, and Norwich, reflecting widespread public support for national symbols.
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