Organisers say they are just being patriotic but some suspect far right is behind ‘dangerous’ lamp-post movement

 

Community efforts to display England flags spark controversy amid rising tensions.

 

A community initiative led by the Wythall Flaggers has successfully raised over £2,000 with the aim of adorning the Worcestershire village with England flags. The group insists that their patriotic efforts are not rooted in racism, emphasising support from people of all ethnicities.

 

Despite these assurances, not everyone is on board. Recently, a video surfaced showing an elderly couple removing a flag from a lamppost, sparking heated online debate and accusations of them being “traitors.”

In the wake of England’s triumph in the Women’s European Championship, which united the nation under the St George’s Cross, similar campaigns have gained momentum.

 

These efforts are intended to reignite a sense of national pride, yet they bring concerns about potentially increasing divisions amidst a backdrop of anti-migrant protests and growing far-right activity.

Operation Raise the Colours, a group promoting the display of national flags across towns and cities, claims to promote pure patriotism. Social media platforms are abuzz with users sharing advice on sourcing flags and flagpoles, with the enthusiasm spreading rapidly in areas like Walsall, Coventry, and Redditch.

 

However, anti-racism advocates like Lewis Nielsen from Stand Up to Racism have voiced apprehensions, suggesting that this movement might serve as a veil for deeper racial tensions. He warns that the current political climate could allow the far-right to exploit these patriotic displays for their agenda.

 

The controversy escalated in Birmingham when plans to replace lampposts with LED lighting signalled the removal of flags. While the city council flies the union flag proudly, they clarified that lamppost attachments are routinely removed for maintenance and safety reasons.

 

This action has provoked outrage among self-described patriots, particularly after the London borough of Tower Hamlets, a significant site for anti-migrant protests, confirmed that they would remove St George flags. Conversely, 12 councils under Reform UK's control have pledged to keep the flags up, citing them as symbols of unity and inclusion.

 

In response, Tower Hamlets Council reiterated their responsibility to manage council infrastructure, removing unauthorized items as part of routine maintenance. Meanwhile, Keir Starmer’s spokesperson reiterated the prime minister’s support for the country's flags, though admitted unfamiliarity with specific local incidents in Birmingham and Tower Hamlets.

 

Operation Raise the Colours continues to grow, with organisers praising the rapid increase in supporters. The group's message is clear: they encourage large-scale, organised displays of the national flags to bolster community spirit. This development keeps the debate alive as communities and authorities attempt to balance expressions of nationalism with concerns about fostering division.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Guardian 2025-08-21

 

 

2 hours ago, CharlieH said:

However, anti-racism advocates like Lewis Nielsen from Stand Up to Racism have voiced apprehensions, suggesting that this movement might serve as a veil for deeper racial tensions.

 

Pearl clutching Liberals hate the English displaying national pride.

 

Their demand for racism is once again outstripping the supply. 

Being patriotic is not racist!

A Motive ?
 

How about a simple " People are sick and tired " of a Leeds, Glasgow or Sheffield arriving every year.

 

Without the corresponding upgrades in infrastructure, Public Services, Healthcare Staff.

21 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

Being patriotic is not racist!

Correct.  Maybe the flags were put up for the victorious Lionesses?

27 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Correct.  Maybe the flags were put up for the victorious Lionesses?

 

I assume you demand your local Thai restaurant removes all traces of the Thai flag between football tournaments?

There is something strange going on. This is clearly a social media campaign gone viral; some of the same people ziptyping screwed up flags to overhead bridges, or painting pedestrian crossings/mini roundabouts were probably wearing out their  kitchenware clapping for the NHS every wednesday (a strange period when I could set my watch to it).

 

The Spectator has run a story behind one of the "organisers" who was also interviewed by GB News.

 

https://www.gbnews.com/news/york-news-flag-wars-st-george-national-pride

 

Quote

 

Joseph Moulton, an organiser with Flag Force UK, told GB News that the group wanted to make a "positive impact" rather than just "complaining on social media".

"For us, raising the flag and tidying the local area is about mobilising the community, rekindling social responsibility, and restoring pride in where we live.

"In recent years, especially since Covid, the loss of pubs and communal spaces, and the pressures of the cost of living, people have become more atomised and insular.

"Combined with wider social and economic difficulties, it is clear we need to start taking responsibility for our communities and making a positive impact, rather than just complaining on social media."

 

 

OK, some predictable phrasing

 

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/meet-the-man-putting-hundreds-of-england-flags-up-around-york/

 

Quote

 

Joseph Moulton is part of the original group that inspired this patriotic contagion. He’s spearheading the effort in York, and is a founding member of Flag Force UK, which he estimates is the largest flag-organising body nationwide.

I met Joseph five years ago, in Armenia, when I was reporting on the war in nearby Nagorno-Karabakh. He was a fiercely ambitious and idealistic 18-year-old who cared deeply for his country, but found himself disillusioned with the state of Britain – especially its lack of communitarian ideals. ‘Britain can’t just be an economic zone. We currently don’t have any national dream or civilisational aspiration,’ he said then.

 

 

Wait, an 18 year old in a warzone? So he's 23 going on 24 years old.

 

Quote

‘My Nan lived in Thurnscoe, a small mining village, before Thatcher closed down the mines. Everyone knew each other, they would police themselves, if there was an issue in the morning then people would resolve it in the pit that night,’ he said. ‘These were stories of an England I was not born into, unfortunately. An England which was gutted along with the industries which supported it in favour of cheap imports and labour.’

 

Ok, hellhole South Yorkshire mining village. It wasn't Thatcher who closed the mines down, but the head of the Coal Board, Ian MacGregor, the Scot who everyone thought was American. Arthur Scargill also had a hand in the inevitable conclusion. Moulton is but a kid, so what does he know, and he probably believed every BS line of people resolving issues  "down t'pit". Complete guff.

 

Quote

 

After Armenia, Moulton had an exotic and intriguing life as an entrepreneur. He met a security contractor who needed help with business development and sales, so he went to work for them in Ukraine and Libya. He then went out on his own for a similar venture in South Korea. But he never abandoned Britain, and Britain always managed to find him, usually in the form of another wandering Brit. Shortly after meeting some bloke in a dodgy bar, in an even dodgier country, they’d get chatting ‘as if we’d known each other for years.’

‘It’s that free speaking and friendliness which is being neutered by the government and reinforced by a censorious, stuffy culture. It prevents the people from developing a political consciousness. But when I’m abroad, that inhibition is just dropped,’ he tells me. 

Moulton was again inspired by his experience working out of Japan. ‘I really felt a degree of culture shock I hadn’t experienced since I first started travelling. I was enamoured by the silent etiquette around how you behave in public, the immaculate streets, and the community volunteers or “Chonaikai” who help keep their local areas clean, safe and happy,’ he said. 

 

 

 

I smell BS. An 18 year old somehow does PMC work in Libya and Ukraine. Finds time ti live in Korea and Japan.

 

His LinkedIn:

 

2019-2022: "Self Employed Business Consultant", London. I don't know any 17 year old Business Consultants.

2022-2024: Founds a "global commodities consultancy"  in the UAE. 

2022-2024: Director of BD ("need a Merc?") at "a leading provider of security services in Libya, Ukraine and....." in the UAE

2024 to date: Founds a Defence Intelligence company Cyprus. Hybrid

2024 to date: Founds a "Thinktank dedicated to analysing the impacts of resources and relations and providing solutions to decision makers"

 

I smell an obvious rat here.  I look at the profile on Companies House of his 20 year old business partner and I think "War Dogs"

 

More:

 

Further digging gets even stranger; when he was doing the flogging Mercenary serves bit, he had hooked up with a grizzled former Royal Marine Commando, and a founder who also runs a Play-2-Win gaming company.

 

I lived in Northern Ireland, for many years, in South Belfast and then Carrickfergus. A lot of flags seen there. In the Prod areas, most homes would have a little flag holder

Either side, no fault from the migrants, the illegals or asylum seekers. The fault is solely and fully to the politicans and their parties who have and are letting irresponsable numbers enter and live off the system.

 

It's the UK politicians who deserve full fault. Not the migrants who are plainly looking for a better way to make it. 

23 hours ago, JonnyF said:

 

I assume you demand your local Thai restaurant removes all traces of the Thai flag between football tournaments?

Not at all, why would I?  I don't have a problem with England flags either.

This is a beautiful thing, flying the flag. Now you just need to choose a hero city for your movment!  Then a big march onto London and you can take power from this weak democratic leader Starmer! Then a 1000 year empire!

Fly them with pride! Just like the Thais do.