Anti racist groups lead call for flags to come down
England flags flying on lampposts on Genners Lane along Bartley Reservoir , Bartley Green Birmingham.(Image: Anita Maric / SWNS)
Three Birmingham anti-racist organisations are demanding the “immediate removal” of flags put up across city communities – warning it is a “far right orchestrated attack” on ethnic minorities and race harmony.
Birmingham Stand Up Against Racism (BSUAR), Birmingham Race Impact Group and Kings Heath United Against Racism leaders have “unequivocally condemned the orchestrated placement of Union Jacks and St George’s flags on lampposts—and the painting of St George’s crosses on roundabouts—across our city.”
They have warned: “This is not innocent “patriotism.”
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The groups say it is ‘part of a far-right operation aimed at intimidating asylum seekers, migrants, and Muslims, and sowing division in our communities’.
They argue the campaign, organised as “Operation Raise the Colours,” is ‘neither spontaneous nor harmless.”
They also claim it has received explicit backing from known far-right figures including Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (Tommy Robinson) who has publicly urged activists to “raise the colours” in defiance of councils removing flags, while Britain First has supplied flags to organisers in some areas.
Says Stand Up to Racism: “These links show this is not a benign display of local pride but a coordinated far-right strategy, embedded in extremist political organising.
“Such displays send a chilling message to Birmingham’s diverse communities: that they are unwelcome, under surveillance, and at risk.
‘Why The Flags Must Come Down’
The group, part of Birmingham Race Impact Group’s campaign for Birmingham to be a truly anti-racist city, said: “We support Birmingham City Council ’s initiative to remove the flags from lampposts and other street furniture.
“But let’s be clear: the central reason these flags must come down is not simply because of health and safety regulations or questions of legality. They must be removed because they are symbols of racist intimidation and far-right organising.
“To leave them in place is to allow fascist groups to mark territory and spread hate.”
Among those calling for action is Mukhtar Dar, of Kings Heath United Against Racism. “When that flag goes up on a lamppost, it’s not just paint or cloth—it’s a target on our backs. This is not thumping up, it’s thumping down: an attempt to push communities down, to intimidate and divide, not to celebrate.”
Bob Maloney, of Birmingham Stand Up to Racism, said: “Fascism doesn’t pick its victims by race alone—it seeks to divide, scapegoat, and oppress. The far right is a threat to all minorities, including LGBTQ+ people, and ultimately to every one of us who believes in justice, solidarity, and equality.”
Jagwant Johal, Birmingham Race Impact Group, added: “By orchestrating flag displays in Birmingham’s disadvantaged wards, the far right, Reform UK and the Conservatives are fuelling anti-migrant sentiment before local elections. This risks sectarian-style divisions like Northern Ireland and demands Council action to uphold its anti-racist pledge.”
The groups added: “Rhetoric like “stop the boats,” used by national political figures across Labour and Conservative parties, has scapegoated migrants and legitimised far-right narratives. Human rights groups and researchers warn that such dehumanising speech normalises extremist beliefs and fuels hate on our streets.”
They also claim that the St George cross and Union Jack have in recent times become “deeply tied to Britain’s imperial past. Far-right groups—like BNP, EDL, and today’s outfits—have reclaimed it as a symbol of exclusion. This is not comparable to waving a flag at a football game. Public displays on lampposts and road junctions are territorial acts of political intimidation.”
Throwing down the gauntlet to the local council and police they demand:
1. Immediate removal of all unauthorised flags and painted crosses—first and foremost because they are racist, far-right symbols of intimidation, not legitimate community pride.
2. A public declaration by Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police that the far-right flag campaign is racist intimidation and will be opposed on those grounds, not reduced to a health and safety issue.
3. That national parties must abandon xenophobic rhetoric and adopt language grounded in dignity and justice.
4. That residents, faith groups, trade unions, youth and sports organisations unite and report hate, stand with neighbours, and demonstrate that Birmingham rejects racism.
Those supporting the flags movement say they are displaying patriotism and spreading joy.
Campaigner Matt Glover, who said he was speaking for the Weoley Warriors group, told BirminghamLive last month that it was a ‘positive’ campaign that local working class people of all backgrounds, faiths and heritage supported.
He said: “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.