Residents urged not to “take matters into their own hands” over city flags.
Residents are asked not to “take matters into their own hands” as councillors express worries about city flags seen throughout the city.
At a recent Portsmouth City Council scrutiny panel meeting, councillors reviewed an ongoing examination of police responses in response to complaints from residents and business owners about long waits.
The evaluation attempts to provide a clearer picture of police performance and how public requests are prioritised.
Anti-social conduct dominated the conversation, with members debating what the council might do to address problems throughout the city.
One item discussed was the increased quantity of flags, which is a national trend, with Union Jacks and St George’s Crosses being fastened to lampposts or spray-painted onto road markings.
The spike has been attributed to a grassroots movement known as Operation Raise the Colours, which was begun in Birmingham by the Weoley Warriors. Supporters see the effort as a way to foster patriotic pride, national identity, and solidarity.
Opponents believe that the flags have been politicised, citing their affiliation with far-right parties and recent anti-immigrant protests in the summer.
Baffins councillor Leonie Oliver described her neighbourhood as “smothered” with Union Jack and St George’s Cross flags. She informed colleagues that locals “are not seeing a response from police or the council” and have enquired if they should “take matters into their own hands.”
My response was please don’t, because that won’t go well,” she told me. Cllr Oliver claimed that she confronted someone tying a flag to a lamppost and “jokingly” enquired if they were supporting the women’s England rugby team or “they were really late for the Lionesses”. “I was met with expletives,” she explained.
St. George’s Cross has been spray painted on the Fawcett Road Roundabout
She advised officers to explore what action the council may take, pointing out that lampposts are council-owned infrastructure. She also stated that she considers the flag displays “incredibly offensive”.
Caroline Hopper, the council’s corporate projects manager, urged people to “listen to one another regardless of each other’s views”. She claimed that people who behave around flags frequently “seeped in their own concerns around safety or fear” as well as:
“We need to think about what we do together as a community, rather than singling out one element of our community and suggesting that by eradicating that we would have fixed everything.”
She did, however, clarify that removing flags from lampposts is not council policy unless it poses a safety issue. Flags spray-painted on road markings, she said, would be removed since they violate highway regulations.
Labour councillor Asghar Shagh said he had seen flags hiding traffic signs in Hilsea and his Cosham constituency, prompting complaints from residents and even a bus driver.
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