Birmingham Council has begun removing flags, including the Union Jack and St George’s Cross, from lampposts after it said they were putting lives at risk. In guidance issued yesterday, the council said: “People who attach unauthorised items to lampposts could be putting their lives and those of motorists and pedestrians at risk.”
It comes after locals adorned several areas of the city with the flags in a show of patriotism.
The council stressed that all unauthorised flags would be removed and that the guidance did not relate to the Union Jack or St George’s Cross. The council would also remove unauthorised banners and adverts.
St George’s flag flies over Downing St
Birmingham Council added: “Lampposts and other street furniture need to be protected which is why highways staff across the city removed around 200 advertising banners and flags that had been attached to lampposts since the start of this year.They take down attachments from lampposts routinely, including advertising signs, bunting trails and flags.”
The guidance, which can be found here, was released yesterday after locals in Weoley Castle put Union Jacks and St George’s Crosses out around Birmingham before what locals called a “patriotic outpouring” spread to other sections of Northfield, including Bartley Green, Selly Oak, and Frankley Great Park.
Several residents have voiced their support and have begun displaying their own flags, requesting their roads be included next, or contributing to a GoFundMe campaign to buy additional ones.
The overwhelming majority of responses on the Weoley Castle Community Facebook page supported the initiative. “We all like the flags. They brighten up the area and they’re not offensive in the slightest,” one local said.
Union Jacks and England flags have been put up in several areas of Birmingham. (Image: Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live)
However, the campaign has also generated worry and distrust amongst allegations that those behind it are politically driven and are attempting to create division between white British locals and other communities.
Resident Nazia Ahmed said she acknowledged the pride many felt in the flag, adding: “But for others, especially minorities like myself, it’s become harder to separate that pride from the undertone of nationalism that sometimes comes with it.
“I’m not against people celebrating their identity or showing support during national events. But I think we all have a responsibility to understand how those actions are perceived by others-especially in a city as beautifully multicultural as Birmingham.”
