A councillor said they were threatened with rape after announcing that Union and St George’s flags would be removed from public places in the UK city.
Derby is among the UK towns and cities inundated with England flags (Image: Derby Telegraph)
Residents in a UK city have slammed their local council’s decision to remove St George’s Cross and Union Jack flags from lampposts as “unpatriotic.” The displays sprung up around Derby, alongside a host of other communities across the country, as part of Operation Raise the Colours.
The online movement has become a contentious topic, with some politicians and local figures criticising the overt patriotic gesture as xenophobic or racist, while others condemned their removal from public infrastructure on safety grounds. The divisive issue has put residents at loggerheads in Derby after the council announced that some flags would be removed from “street furniture” if they had been erected without the necessary permissions.
Operation Raise the Colours has been labelled xenophobic and racist (Image: Derby Telegraph)
One local told GB News: “It’s unpatriotic, isn’t it? It’s a St George’s flag, it’s for the country. It’s what our forefathers fought and died for. It’s not offensive … We’re proud to be British, but that doesn’t mean that we’re all racist or far-right.”
Another added: “I don’t think there are many people that object to it, just the minority, but if that’s what the council think they’ve got to do, then I’m sure they’ll just crack on and do it, whatever we think.”
Councillor Sarah Chambers said last week that the local authority “understands and shares the pride” residents feel in their national identity and had “applied flexibility in our discretion in recent weeks” but would now begin exercising legal powers to remove some of the flags.
“We proudly fly the Union flag outside the Council House everyday and we recognise both the Union Flag and the Flag of St George as important symbols of our national identity,” she added.
“Derby City Council has taken the decision not to exercise our discretionary legal powers to remove flags or bunting that has been placed on street furniture, such as lamp posts and bridges unless they’ve been a health and safety hazard.
“It is time to bring this campaign of flag flying to an end as we need to begin to clear our lampposts for future seasonal and commemorative events.”
Ms Chambers, cabinet member for communities, equalities and public safety, said she received a rape threat after announcing the plans last week. Derbyshire Police confirmed that they had received a public order incident report and investigations were ongoing.
A spokesperson for the force said: “We received reports of a public order incident on Monday, September 22, when threats were shouted at a woman by a man in a car.
“The incident occurred between 5pm and 5:30pm in Elton Road, Derby. Investigations are ongoing and we encourage anyone with any information to contact us.”
