A gang of newly-recruited staff will be taking to the streets in darkness throughout October to remove the Union and St George’s Cross flags.
St. George’s flags on lamp posts (Image: Getty)
Birmingham City Council has recruited staff to tear down ‘unauthorised’ flags in the city. The council’s contractors are about to embark on a month-long night-time ‘blitz’ in October to remove Union and St George’s Cross flags, which have sparked antagonism between pro and anti-flaggers across England.
The council has faced intense pressure over the flags controversy, which began in South Birmingham and quickly grew into a national movement. Far-right figures such as Tommy Robinson have praised the campaign, while politicians across the political spectrum have largely avoided publicly criticising it.
Coun Jamie Tennant, cabinet member for social justice, communities and equalities, confirmed the council was now in the process of taking the flags down. He said the nation’s flags were recognised as important symbols that people could unify under, of all ethnicities, but posting them on multiple lamp-posts was unauthorised and the council needed to act.
St. George’s flags appear across the UK (Image: Getty)
Adverts for temporary staff to operate cherry pickers overnight are currently live on multiple recruitment websites. Their role will be to ‘remove flags and other unauthorised items’ that have gone up on lamp-posts and public property across the city, BirminghamLive has reported.
It is understood that the city council tried to hide the details of the operation due to fear of angering the organisations behind the mass flagging of the area. Council leader John Cotton had previously issued a plea to flaggers to stop adding more.
He said last month: “I want to be absolutely clear with with all of your readers. I do not have any problem with people displaying their patriotism.
“I’m proud of my British, English and Birmingham identity.
“I absolutely recognise the importance of the Union flag and the flag of St George as symbols of national pride.”
But he urged people to desist from sticking them up on the highways: “In Birmingham you’re absolutely free to, and we welcome, the flying of the flag on your own property.
“But please desist from placing flags on street furniture or anywhere else.
“There are health and safety obligations we have to ensure, as the highways authority, are respected.”
Anti-racist organisations and several community leaders have voiced concern that those orchestrating some of the flag displays are deliberately trying to deepen divisions and promote anti-migrant sentiment, with some reportedly linked to protests against asylum seekers.
Social media groups associated with the movement frequently share posts celebrating the flags and declaring that anyone who refuses to support them “should leave the country.”
