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'
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
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".
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
4
St George's and Union Jack flags tied to lamp posts in Birmingham
Credit: BPM
4
But the council have decided to tear them down, sparking backlash
Credit: BPM
4
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.
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".
"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.
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.
"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.
"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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
40 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Trump's ‘art of the deal' fails again outflanked by a wily Putin
EMBLAZONED on the podium's backdrop were the words, 'Pursuing Peace'. But just around the time that US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin were wrapping up their much vaunted meeting in Alaska on Friday, at least seven regions of Ukraine were under air raid alert. 'Elusive Peace' instead it seems was the prevailing message to come out of this the first meeting between a US president and Putin since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. After nearly three hours of talks, there was a brief appearance before the media, during which Trump and Putin said they had made progress on unspecified issues, but offered no details and took no questions, from the journalists gathered. Trump, usually loquacious and ready to bat off reporters' questions, seemed to sense that he would be asked about his pre-summit threats of 'very severe consequences' if Russia did not end the conflict. Instead, the assembled global press had to settle for both men hinting at 'progress made,' 'points agreed on' and talk of a follow up meeting with a glum looking Trump insisting, 'There is no deal until there is a deal.' Trump's much sought after ceasefire deal it seems remains out of reach for now, but what followed the summit was a lengthy phone conversation between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy with the leaders of some NATO countries including UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, joining for part of the conversation. Trump and Zelenskyy also agreed to meet in Washington on Monday. It's long been recognised that successful diplomacy of any kind requires give and take on both sides, but for now that - in public at least – does not seem sufficiently forthcoming for any major breakthrough. (Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire) So, what then does the outcome of the Alaska summit mean for both Trump and Putin. What too does it signify for Ukraine and its European allies in terms of the way forward? To take Putin first, the consensus among many observers is that the Russian president came out of the summit having achieved one of his major goals, which is the start of his rehabilitation as a world leader. The Alaska get-together with the powerful photo opportunity it presented, ended Putin's isolation from the West. Almost from the moment he stepped off his plane onto the red-carpeted tarmac, Putin will have been pleased with what the Kremlin will view as a triumph. Read more Tears and trauma: David Pratt in Ukraine DAVID PRATT ON THE WORLD: Whatever happens in Brazil's resentful and rancorous election, the result will have major repercussions for us all David Pratt in Ukraine: It's hard to comprehend this level of destruction David Pratt: Kremlin's protestations have a hollow ring as atrocities mount up War Criminal NOT only was the Russian leader – a man wanted by the International Criminal Court as a war criminal - greeted with applause from his host, Trump, but his welcome stood in marked contrast to the public humiliation that Trump and his advisers inflicted on Zelenskyy during his visit to the White House earlier this year. 'The meeting looks like a win for Putin,' observed Oleh Shamshur, a former Ukrainian ambassador to the US and now a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center. 'There was high ceremony and a warm reception -painful for Ukrainians to watch - a breaking out of diplomatic isolation, and a delaying again of a round of harsher direct and secondary sanctions. There was, in other words, quite a bit to sell his new 'victory' to the Russian public and to an international audience of both friends and foes,' Shamshur added. It helped Putin too that the Alaskan venue was rife with symbolism: the proximity of Russia and America across the Bering Strait, the sale of Alaska by Tsarist Russia to the United States in 1867; and the American lend-lease agreements that armed the Soviet Union to help it resist Nazi Germany (an important supply route ran through Alaska). Putin of course made the most of all this and in his closing speech recounted how, on arrival on the red carpet, he had greeted Trump with 'Good afternoon, dear neighbour.' But as the New York Times (NYT) noted, this was more than a photo op and move towards international rehabilitation for Putin. 'In addition to thawing Russia's pariah status in the West, the summit has sowed discord within NATO - a perennial Russian goal - and postponed Mr. Trump's threat of tough new sanctions,' the newspaper said. 'Little more than two weeks ago, he vowed that if Mr. Putin did not commit to a cease-fire by last Friday, he would punish Moscow and countries like China and India that help Russia's war effort by buying its oil and gas.' the NYT added. It went on to cite Ryhor Nizhnikau, a Russia expert and senior researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs as saying, 'Instead of getting hit with sanctions, Putin got a summit.' According to the independent Russian online news portal Meduza, even before the start of Friday's summit the Kremlin had issued instructions to Russia's state-controlled media on how to cover it. The guidelines says Meduza told pro-Kremlin outlets to emphasise that Putin spoke to Trump about 'Kyiv's unwillingness to negotiate,' that Moscow is 'ready for various scenarios in the talks,' and that the Russian president 'sets the agenda for Russian-American relations.' Meduza detailed how a media strategist working with the Kremlin's political team had told them told them that pro-government audiences were being prepped for the possibility that the summit 'may not lead to a pause in fighting.' 'It's a warm-up to keep expectations low -and avoid disappointment,' the source said. 'The main point is dialogue with the US for the sake of dialogue. Putin and Trump are working on an agreement, and it's Putin who sets the terms of that agreement.' Economic Pressure IN short, Putin got to share the stage with the US president and proffer enough flattery and meaningless talk of respecting Ukrainian security to stave off further immediate sanctions and economic pressure. Some observers say the Alaska summit was a stark reminder of their last infamous encounter in Helsinki in 2018. Back then by the time Trump came out of the room after his one to one meeting he looked dazzled by the Kremlin leader. Asked at a press conference about the conclusions of the US intelligence community that Russia had interfered in the US elections, Trump said: 'President Putin says it's not Russia. I don't see any reason why it should be.' Fiona Hill, Trump's senior Kremlin adviser on the US national security council, later said that she had considered pulling a fire alarm or faking a medical emergency to end the press conference such was the extent to which Putin had embarrassingly put one over on Trump. Putin's negotiating abilities of course are a point of record. In his 2020 memoir, A Promised Land, former US president Barack Obama in an assessment of foreign leaders, told how when his aide David Axelrod asked him his impression of Putin, he responded that he 'found him strangely familiar, 'like a ward boss, except with nukes and a UN Security Council veto.' 'Putin did, in fact, remind me of the sorts of men who had once run the Chicago machine or Tammany Hall (a historical New York City political organisation) -tough, street-smart, unsentimental characters who knew what they knew, who never moved outside their narrow experiences, and who viewed patronage, bribery, shakedowns, fraud, and occasional violence as legitimate tools of the trade,' Obama wrote. It might have been an unflattering characterisation, but many agree on its accuracy nonetheless. This weekend despite trying to put considerable spin on the outcome of the Alaska summit, Trump appears to have once again been outmanoeuvred by Putin's cunning and uncompromising tactics. As the Financial Times (FT) and others see it, Trump's lacklustre performance they say resulted in a political backslash on his return to Washington. The newspaper cited a number of political figures uneasy with the outcome. On the Democrat side, Illinois congressman Mike Quigley said: 'Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin - literally - and he walked away with a green light to continue his conquest.' But it will be criticism from his fellow Republicans that will bother Trump most. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican, said it was time to reckon with one conclusion: 'This simple fact remains: true and lasting security can only be achieved with our allies - most importantly with Ukraine - at the table.' (Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire) Europe's Relief BUT it is in Europe that there will be a certain cautionary relief that Trump did not announce a deal with Putin that he would then present to them as a fait accompli. Trump's pre-summit talk of 'land swaps' had left some with frayed nerves. Many in Europe remain concerned about Trump's willingness to hold a summit on Ukraine that excluded Zelenskyy. It was significant then that almost immediately in the wake of the summit in a moment of coordination, European leaders put out a joint statement pushing for three- way talks between the US, Ukraine and Russia. In a statement, Keir Starmer - clearly in part designed to flatter Trump - insisted that 'President Trump's efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending the war in Ukraine.' He went on to reiterate that the next steps must involve Zelenskyy and that peace cannot be decided without him. Clearly the uncertain outcome of the summit, with nothing agreed on paper, has bought the Europeans and Ukrainians time to try and shape Trump's future thinking. 'We are clear that Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,' the European leaders said in a statement. 'No limitations should be placed on Ukraine's armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine's pathway to EU and NATO,' they said. According to two EU diplomats cited by Politico magazine, an extraordinary meeting of ambassadors representing all 27 member countries was convened yesterday morning to discuss the bloc's next steps. Envoys were asked to meet in 'restricted format,' without aides or telephones to minimise the risks of information leaking. Trump's remark that the US might get involved in guaranteeing Ukrainian security will be music to the ears of Kyiv's European allies and something they will want to build on in moving forward. But this being Donald Trump means that things remain unpredictable If Trump himself is unhappy and the unsatisfactory outcome of the summit eats away at him with his prospect of securing that coveted Nobel Peace Prize vanishing, then there is no guarantee he will end up directing his ire at Putin. There is always the fear too that Trump will walk away and be involved only from the sidelines. 'Now Trump seems to be shifting most of the responsibility to Kyiv and Europe but reserving some role for himself,' observed Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in the wake of the summit. All eyes now will turn to tomorrow's talks at the White House with Zelenskyy. 'If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people's lives will be saved,' insisted Trump yesterday still hinting that the Alaska talks went better than they appeared to. Trump's Motives FOR his part the Ukrainian president will doubtless be on his guard given a certain previous encounter at the White House, and also because back home most of his fellow Ukrainians remain equally wary of Trump's motives. As an editorial in the Kyiv Independent noted about the summit; 'If the two presidents failed to reach an agreement, it means that, despite all the chumminess on display, Trump didn't approve of Russia's absurd demands for Ukraine - demands that amount to Kyiv's capitulation.' If Trump went to Alaska with a degree of optimism as to striking a deal then he clearly he left disappointed. For his part Putin meanwhile no doubt went home with a smile on his face. In all, the summit turned out to be strange affair and there remains a prevailing sense that something surprising might yet come of it. If nothing else it certainly underscored the challenge of bringing this the biggest war in Europe since 1945 to a just and peaceful end.
Edinburgh Live
41 minutes ago
- Edinburgh Live
John Swiney backs Palestinian woman in Gaza pleading for spot at Edinburgh University
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A Palestinian woman who fears for her life in Gaza has appealed to Keir Starmer to help her take up a place at Edinburgh University. First Minister John Swinney has backed the 32-year-old's calls for the Prime Minister to open an emergency visa route and said he is 'appalled' students are being prevented from reaching safety in Scotland. Shaymaa, who is using only her first name due to safety concerns, is one of 10 Palestinians who have fully-funded courses in Scotland, out of 78 in total across the UK. However, they're stranded in Gaza and unable to leave due to visa processing problems, fearing for their lives every day and struggling to find basic shelter and food, reports the Sunday Mail. Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine and Edinburgh university have been lobbying the UK Government for months over the issue but fear time is running out as courses are due to start in a fortnight. (Image: Getty/Anadolu) Shaymaa is still hoping to begin her English Literature PhD at Edinburgh University on September 1. Speaking to the Sunday Mail from Gaza, the student and former lecturer issued a direct appeal to Starmer and said: 'Education is the path to the future. It is one of the few remaining pathways to survival and dignity for Palestinians right now. 'The UK has an opportunity to offer practical, life-saving solutions to students like me. 'I urge him to implement an emergency route for students and researchers from Gaza, including biometric deferral and safe passage, so we are not excluded from opportunities we have rightfully earned.' The UK government said students have to go through biometric processing – where their fingerprints and photos are recorded – to be considered for a visa. Normally, they would select their nearest processing centre but the facility in Gaza is closed and all routes out of the region are blocked due to the Israeli bombardment, leaving them with no way to complete the checks. (Image: Getty/Jack Guez) Swinney said: 'I am appalled at the situation Shaymaa and other students from Gaza are facing. We must see urgent action from the UK Gov-ernment to support them in taking up their university places in Scotland. 'The people of Gaza are already suffering unimaginably at the hands of the Israeli government – the idea that these students could also be denied the chance to take up the university places in Scotland they have worked so hard to attain is not acceptable to me.' The First Minister said education secretary Jenny Gilruth has contacted the UK Government calling for urgency over the issue, adding: 'I am aware other countries including France, Ireland and Italy have managed to successfully evacuate students, so the UK Government cannot simply duck its responsibilities here. Where there is a political will, a resolution can be found – and failure to act is literally putting these people's lives at risk. 'I am clear that the international community must put a stop to Israel's killing in Gaza and that we must see the immediate recognition of a sovereign, independent Palestine. But until that point, the UK Government must do everything it can to ensure ordinary Gazans are not punished further. (Image: Getty/ Ken Jack) 'Scotland looks forward to welcoming Shaymaa and the other students from Gaza seeking to take their places at our universities – the UK Government must do the right thing and do everything in its power to allow them to get here.' Earlier this month, around 80 MPs signed an open letter to Starmer urging him to take action to help the 78 students, including Shaymaa, get to the UK for their studies. A number of Scottish MPs joined the calls including Brian Leishman, Pete Wishart and Wendy Chamberlain. Shaymaa said the chance to study in Edinburgh wouldn't just further her education but would save her life. She said: 'Coming to Scotland wouldn't just allow me to continue my academic journey– which has been severely disrupted – but would also give me the chance to live and study in physical safety. "It's not just about personal safety either. It would be a chance to reclaim a sense of direction, to write and think and teach without fearing for my life every second. It would allow me to begin healing and to carry the stories of Gaza into spaces where they urgently need to be heard.' Shaymaa was offered a fully-funded PhD at Edinburgh University in English Literature and said the opportunity would help 'build stronger academic bridges between Scotland, the UK, and Palestine' as well as advance her own education. She said: 'Studying in Scotland would give me the space, tools, and mentorship to develop that work further and to contribute meaningfully to the field of literature and build a lasting academic career. 'This isn't just a degree to me. It's a way to keep going, to hold on to my intellectual life and to honour everything that has been taken from us.' Originally from Abasan al-Kabira, east of the city of Khan Younis in the south of Gaza, Shaymaa and her family were forced to flee when the bombings started and have been displaced multiple times in the last 18 months. Shaymaa is now living in a tent on a beach in al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, with 11 others including her two sisters and their children. She said: 'The last we heard our house was severely damaged but we haven't been back. 'Now my face and hands are sunburnt and sweaty all the time. Daily life in Gaza is almost impossible to describe. There's little access to basic resources like clean water and food. 'Most days are spent trying to secure food, charge devices at solar points when possible, and stay safe amid ongoing bombings.' Edinburgh West MP Jardine said: 'When I was contacted by the University, I wrote to the Foreign Office to ask what they are doing to help students who have been offered places but, because they live in Gaza, are finding it impossible to complete the required UK immigration process to come here. 'Due process needs to happen but we should be doing everything in our power to make sure it's possible to get people out of a warzone.' A UK Government spokeswoman said: 'We are aware of these students and are actively considering how we can best support.'
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Cooper says Palestine Action ‘more than a regular protest group'
She said protest and free speech remain 'an important part of our democracy' which will 'always be protected', but argued Palestine Action has carried out 'an escalating campaign'. Writing in The Observer, she said: 'Some may think it is a regular protest group known for occasional stunts. But that is not the extent of its past activities.' Ms Cooper said counterterrorism intelligence showed the organisation passed the tests to be proscribed under the 2000 Terrorism Act with 'disturbing information' about future attacks. 'Protecting public safety and national security are at the very heart of the job I do,' she said. 'Were there to be further serious attacks or injuries, the government would rightly be condemned for not acting sooner to keep people safe.' She said only a tiny minority of people who had protested in support of Palestinian people since the start of the war with Israel had been arrested. 'That is why the proscription of this group is not about protest or the Palestinian cause,' she said. 'In a democracy, lawful protest is a fundamental right but violent criminality is not. The Metropolitan Police said on Friday more than 700 people have been arrested since the group was banned on July 5. The force said a further 60 people will be prosecuted for support of Palestine Action, while Norfolk Police said on Saturday 13 people were arrested at a protest in Norwich. Last week, the Met confirmed the first three charges in England and Wales for offences under the Terrorism Act relating to Palestine Action. The three people charged were arrested at a protest in Parliament Square on July 5. More prosecutions are expected in the coming weeks, and arrangements have been put in place 'that will enable us to investigate and prosecute significant numbers each week if necessary', the Met said.
