Fury erupts after St George's flags are ripped down from city's streets by council over fears they ‘put lives at risk'
'UTTER ABSURDITY' Fury erupts after St George's flags are ripped down from city's streets by council over fears they 'put lives at risk'
FURIOUS residents have blasted their local council after St George's flags were ripped down from city streets.
Locals have put up flags on houses and streetlights in Northfield, Birmingham, in what was described as a show of "patriotic outpouring".
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St George's and Union Jack flags tied to lamp posts in Birmingham
Credit: BPM
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But the council have decided to tear them down, sparking backlash
Credit: BPM
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Many feel the move is excessive
Credit: BPM
The Union Jack and St George's flags were put up using ladders and cable ties by a group of residents called the Weoley Warriors.
Funded by £2,500 of public donations, the campaign is intended to 'show Birmingham and the rest of the country of how proud we are of our history, freedoms and achievements'.
The flags were first seen in Weoley Castle before spreading to other parts of Northfield including Bartley Green, Selly Oak and Frankley Great Park.
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But Birmingham City Council have now confirmed the flags will be removed, saying the "unauthorised items" are "dangerous" and could potentially kill motorists and pedestrians.
The council said that the extra weight could "potentially lead to collapse" in the future.
However, the council's decision has sparked backlash from residents.
One unnamed flag-flying resident told BirminghamLive that the patriotic bunting had been put up because people in the area have "had enough".
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"This country is a disgrace and has no backbone," they said.
"This isn't racism, it's frustration at being pushed into a corner and silenced."
Jeremy Duthie, from Weoley Castle, also told the outlet: "My personal opinion is that anyone who has a problem with our national flag being flown is living in the wrong country and should maybe consider living in the country represented by whatever flag they prefer to see flying."
Many have also pointed out that Palestinian flags were flying in other parts of the city to show solidarity over the Gaza crisis as well as Ukrainian flags in the past.
And the council also lit up the Library of Birmingham in green and white to mark the anniversary of Pakistan's independence day yesterday.
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Cabbies have hit out at a 'woke' ban on flying England flag
MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith accused Birmingham City Council of piling "bias and absurdity on top of their utter incompetence".
He pointed out that they have managed to find workers to take down flags after months of bin strikes.
But a spokesman for the council said: "People who attach unauthorised items to lampposts could be putting their lives and those of motorists and pedestrians at risk.
"Placing unauthorised attachments on street furniture, particularly tall structures like lampposts, can be dangerous."
The 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.
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"They take down attachments from lampposts routinely, including advertising signs, bunting trails and flags."
'PROUD OF COMMUNITY'
However, Councillor Simon Morrall, who represents Frankley Great Park on the city council, said it was a "clearly peaceful moment" that "residents love".
He has also written to the council to suggest an "amnesty" on removing any flags until at least the end of August.
Helen Ingram, a historian who lives in the area, told the Mail: "Since the flags appeared everyone in Northfield has been talking about them – friends, family, neighbours, even strangers.
"Everyone I've spoken to loves them and there's a buzz in the air, an almost carnival-like atmosphere. Northfield was once a tight-knit community and it's heart-warming to get back that strong sense of community pride and unity.
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"Some of the residents of Northfield have pointed out that there are plenty of Palestinian, Ukrainian and Pride flags that fly freely around the city every day without issue.
"They argue that flying a Union Jack or England flag aligns with this same spirit of being proud of your identity, your roots and the community that you represent.
"That is surely a sentiment that a city council should be championing rather than condemning!"
It comes after thousands of England flags put up on an estate to cheer on the Lionesses were ripped down by a mystery vandal.
The area in South-East London is famous for its huge displays of flags and murals in support of the national team during major football tournaments.
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Mourners sit around the grave of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, who was killed alongside other journalists in an overnight Israeli strike on their tent in Gaza City. Picture: Omar Al-qatta/AFP The research also concluded that, if the current approach to aid from the Trump administration continues, 14m people will die by 2030. Against such a febrile background, Bono may well have concluded it was best for the sake of the work he has been involved in to keep his own counsel rather than anger Trump's administration. The current US president has a record of lashing out against those who irritate or anger him, and there would be every possibility that he could do so against any of the projects to which Bono has lent his weight. Any high profile intervention on his part would have no effect on the US's enablement of the Gaza genocide, but it may well have had repercussions for the lives of others who are struggling against the ravages of famine and war. On that basis, his silence was not just understandable but morally sound The reality is that the US's moral authority in the world at large has been severely damaged through a combination of Trump's policies and the complete capitulation of the country's power centres to a war criminal such as Benjamin Netanyahu. All sorts of leaders in other countries, in business, in the arts, and in development work are scrambling to come to terms with the current global dispensation. It certainly looks like Bono had some struggles in this regard. For those who revel in casting him as one who is only concerned with his own welfare, such struggles had precious little to do with considerations for the dispossessed. A more nuanced view might concede that his record suggests he has as much social conscience, if not far more, than many of his critics.
