Your say / flags
‘Flags erected unlawfully must be taken down’
The Union Jack and St George’s Cross are symbols of shared identity – one which everyone should feel proud to stand behind.
As our national flags, they should have pride of place on public buildings and honoured locations with the consent of local communities, particularly for key national days.
They are a display of British values. They should bring people together, not divide them.
We know that many residents have proudly flown our national flags at their own homes and have done so for many years.
We agree that celebratory or commemorative displays of flags, which show support for one of our national (or local) sports teams, national events such as a royal wedding or for Remembrance Sunday, brings us together. On private property, we encourage this.
However, other councils have been clear that displaying flags on the public highway is unlawful. They can pose a safety risk to road users, particularly if they become loose, obstruct visibility or have the potential to cause a distraction. This includes on lampposts.
Context is crucial. The more recent ‘Raise the Colours’ movement was co-founded by someone with connections to Britain First, a far-right, nationalist movement.
We are clear that supporting the flags being flown does not make someone ‘far-right’ or racist. We also recognise that many may not be aware of this or the impact it is having on others in the community.
Since the start of this movement, we have heard from residents who have said flags flown in this climate have made them feel unwelcome in their own community.
Likewise, we have heard from people from migrant backgrounds who feel deliberately targeted by having flags flown directly outside their homes.
Public spaces belong to all of us, including those who have been made to feel unwelcome by the flags.
In recent months, we have also seen hate crime incidents increase. Among them, this has seen a nine-year-old racially abused and shot with an air rifle in Brentry, a racist attack on two men in Lawrence Hill and Islamophobic graffiti on a bus stop in Bedminster.
Bristol is home to over 500,000 people from more than 187 different countries. That’s something to be celebrated. It’s what makes Bristol, Bristol. Every single one of our residents has a right to feel welcome.
We must carry out further meaningful work on community cohesion, exploring how we best celebrate identity in a way that brings people together.
Now is the time for this city to show strong and decisive leadership in a City of Sanctuary where we seek to create a place that is welcoming for all.
The approach to flags so far has been inconsistent and lacking a clear strategy, allowing the issue to fester and cause division for far longer than it should have done.
The Labour group believes that the leadership of this council needs to step up, adopt a citywide approach, and get the flags that have been placed unlawfully on lampposts taken down.
This is an opinion piece by Tom Renhard, leader of Bristol’s Labour group of councillors
Main photo: Martin Booth
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