The flags were all taken down in the early hours
Union flags put up on lampposts on West Street and Duckmoor Road/Luckwell Road in Bedminster last week have been taken down, with posters with a ‘welcome’ message put up in their place. This one is on Luckwell Road(Image: Bristol Post)
Dozens of union flags put up last week on two major roads in South Bristol have been removed overnight during the weekend, with messages of ‘welcome and solidarity’ put up in their place. Scores of flags were tied high up on lampposts by South Bristol residents with an anti-immigration message behind them right across Bedminster, Ashton, Bedminster Down and Knowle over the past week or so.
But on two main streets in Bedminster and Ashton Gate – Luckwell Road and Duckmoor Road and nearby West Street, the flags sparked some controversy, with some local residents living on those streets saying they didn’t want them there.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, a group of local residents are understood to have removed all the flags from first Duckmoor Road and then West Street on Sunday morning. And in their place, posters containing the Union flag but with messages of welcome were pinned to lampposts.
On Luckwell Road in Bedminster, one variant of the poster said: “We celebrate the rich tapestry of cultures, backgrounds and stories that make us who we are,” in a statement beneath a Union flag.
“Whether you’ve lived here for generations or have arrived seeking safety and new beginnings, you’re welcome. Together we thrive, together we belong,” it added.
A Union flag on a lamppost on West Street in Bedminster, on Saturday evening. It – and all the others – were removed by a group of unknown people at around 5am on Sunday morning, according to eye witnesses(Image: Bristol Post)
Other posters on Luckwell Road and Duckmoor Road advertised the community’s ‘Luckwell and Duckmoor Road solidarity group’ on the messaging service Signal.
The posters are similar to the ones created last week by the West Street community group Way Out West, which were printed off and posted up beneath the flags there on the morning after the flags appeared.
READ MORE: St George’s crosses in roads will be removed by Bristol City CouncilREAD MORE: Heated scenes on South Bristol street as Union flag-raisers meet the neighbours
Bristol Live found a mixed response to the group raising up the flags on Luckwell Road and Duckmoor Road last week, with some people saying they liked the new additions to the street scene, but others saying the message behind it made them uncomfortable.
The same group has also put flags further south on the A38, on Bridgwater Road in Bedminster Down, on the route to and from Bristol Airport – which remain today.
A union flag pictured on Luckwell Road in Bedminster last week – a local resident had created their own ‘Immigrants Welcome’ display in response(Image: Bristol Post)
Many streets all around Bristol, and particularly in South Bristol and north west Bristol, have been adorned with either the St George Cross or the Union flag. And those behind the campaign in BS3 have pledged to be back with fresh flags as soon as possible.
Bristol Live understands Bristol City Council were not the ones responsible for removing the flags on Duckmoor Road in Ashton Gate or on West Street in Bedminster.
The city council has been wrestling with the issue of flags, trying to balance the demands of people who want to fly them from lampposts in the city, and the concerns or complaints from people who don’t.
READ MORE: South Bristol street filled with Union Jack flags as community group hits back
The flags in Bedminster sparked dozens of reports and complaints to local councillors and through the council’s Fix My Street website, which is normally filled with reports of potholes, street lights not working and fly-tipping.
But the city council has developed a de facto policy on the flags, only removing those which are considered to be either a health and safety hazard or where there is evidence they are causing widespread offence.