2 days ago
Defiant Weoley campaigner defends England flags project amid racism backlash
One of the so-called 'Weoley Warriors' involved in a campaign to plaster the city with Union and England flags has spoken of wanting to 'restore pride' to 'neglected' working class communities in south Birmingham amid a backlash.
The national flags have appeared along major routes and on lamp-posts around Weoley Castle, Bartley Green, Northfield and further afield, with hundreds more planned to go up, said Matt Glover, representing the group.
He pledged the flags would almost certainly go back up if they are taken down by the council, which has said it has a duty to take down unsafe and unauthorised attachments on lamp-posts and highways structures.
READ MORE: Birmingham City Council issues safety warning over flags lining city streets
"It's just going to be cat and mouse. It will be a waste of public money," he said, claiming the group responsible were using safety gear and ladders to safely cable-tie flags and were acting responsibly.
The group, describing themselves as 'Weoley Warriors', claim as many as 1,500 flags have now gone up across Northfield and neighbouring areas, with requests for more coming in every day. More than £2,500 has been donated to a gofundme campaign to cover costs.
The proliferation of flags has caused a passionate debate in the city and beyond around national identity and how the flags are perceived.
While many residents have described them as 'positive', others have expressed concern about the underlying motivations of those involved, particularly after populist and far right organisations pledged their backing, including the leadership of Reform UK. Lee Anderson, Reform UK MP, described it as 'a disgrace' if the flags were taken down.
One dissenter, who lives in Northfield, said: "This is not about celebrating all those who live in our city equally. Just look at all the comments, the people saying 'if you can't love our England flag then you can leave'...it's dressed up as pride in the flag but it plays right into the hands of racists who think they can decide who counts as British and who doesn't."
Another said they were 'very uncomfortable' because, outside of sporting events, the flag had been tainted for so long by its association with far right views.
But Glover, a dad of four and Justice for the 21 pub bombing victims campaigner, denied political or divisive intent and was disdainful of claims of racism.
He said he was not personally putting up flags but described it as a 'positive' campaign that local working class people of all backgrounds, faiths and heritage supported. "We are working class people, not just white people, many of us are football fans, what we have in common is we are all proud of our flag and country, but people assume that makes us racist.
"This is the flag flown on government buildings, on Buckingham Palace, everywhere, and it's the flag our troops fight under, yet somehow we should be ashamed of it."
Mr Glover said he understood the council's safety concerns - listed in this article here - but claimed that those putting up the flags were acting responsibly and taking safety precautions.
"The city council are trying to find an excuse to remove the flags of this nation and are creating a divide and more anger in the community," he claimed.
He described himself as part of a group of 'proud men, some ex forces, some British, some Irish, who one day over a pint after a hard day's graft 'decided the country was in turmoil, the world was on the brink of the council was more worried about losing face to binmen than anything else' so decided to 'bring the once tight knit community of Weoley, Northfield and surrounding areas some hope.'
"The outcome has been tremendous," he claimed.
In a lengthy statement Mr Glover described touring world war memorial and battle sites, crying at the sounding of the Last Post and said he has 'prayed for every single soul lost (in wartime)...it breaks my heart to be called racist knowing my flag was a symbol of unity and pride.
"It amazes me that some people are so stupid and blinkered that all they see is a stereotype of white English bald men as racists just for having a belief, passion and loyalty to this nation."
But he went on to add a list of views he also subscribed to and said they were shared by many working class people 'sick of the establishment'. "Yes, we are fed up of illegal our taxes being spent on possible criminals and rapists; of two tier policing; of our own people not being able to get homes before foreign nationals; of foreign nationals getting (gifts and special treatment)," he added.
He referred to sharia law and said he was angry that Eid was widely celebrated in the city but not St George's Day. "This isn't racism - it's frustration from being pushed into a corner and silenced.
"If you want to live the flag of this nation, and if you don't like it, choose a country to move to that you do respect the flag of."
