{"id":356788,"date":"2025-08-19T12:32:18","date_gmt":"2025-08-19T12:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/356788\/"},"modified":"2025-08-19T12:32:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T12:32:18","slug":"birmingham-flag-fundraising-drives-raise-thousands-amid-dont-call-this-racist-plea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/356788\/","title":{"rendered":"Birmingham flag fundraising drives raise thousands amid ‘don’t call this racist’ plea"},"content":{"rendered":"

Birmingham City Council issued a new statement this week amid the appearance of more flags across the city\"AAn England flag flies above a residential street in Birmingham on August 18(Image: Leon Neal\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

More than \u00a316,000 has been raised to support campaigns to put up Union and cross of St George flags in and around Birmingham<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Flags have been hung in neighbourhoods across the city, including Weoley Castle and Northfield<\/a>, as well as on major roads such as the A38.<\/p>\n

Many were attached to lampposts and other highway infrastructure, which prompted the city council to issue a safety warning<\/a>.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Council says ‘Brummies proud to be British’ as flag debate rumbles on<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The authority said it was normal procedure for items attached to lampposts to be removed on a \u201cregular basis\u201d.<\/p>\n

The flags have sparked a fierce debate in Birmingham, with those responsible describing it as a patriotic move to celebrate the country.<\/p>\n

But it has sparked concern from others amid claims the move was politically motivated and seeking to stir up division within the city.<\/p>\n

Three fundraising campaigns looking to put flags up in certain neighbourhoods had raised more than \u00a316,000 between them as of Tuesday afternoon, August 19.<\/p>\n

One, co-organised by a group called the Weoley Warriors, said it wanted to give \u201chope to local communities that all isn\u2019t lost and they are not alone\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"FlagsFlags along Genners Lane and Bartley Reservoir in Birmingham(Image: Nick Wilkinson\/Birmingham Live)<\/p>\n

Another for south Birmingham said: \u201cWe are doing this to bring back a good community spirit and pride in our local and surrounding communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is NOT racist, never has been never will be,\u201d a third fundraising page for nearby Wythall read. \u201cWe have members of the community of all ethnicities and religions stopping by and praising what we are doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo please don\u2019t call this racist \u2013 we are just patriotic and should be flying our beautiful flag.\u201d<\/p>\n

Labour<\/a>-run Birmingham City Council<\/a> issued a new statement this week, saying it \u2018proudly flies\u2019 the Union flag outside the council house every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recognise the importance of the Union flag and flag of St George as symbols of national pride,\u201d a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Every banned activity on Birmingham’s city centre streets as PSPOs come into effect<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cBrummies are proud to be British and proud this is a welcoming city celebrating many different cultures.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to items attached to lamp posts, it is normal council procedure for these to be removed on a regular basis, in line with our health and safety obligations.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs has always been the case, people are free to fly or hang flags from their homes or gardens, but we ask that they are not attached to street furniture.\u201d<\/p>\n

The council published a statement last week about its ongoing work to upgrade street lighting in the city, which it said would involve taking down \u2018attachments\u2019 from lampposts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWork is due to begin imminently, and lamp columns need to remain free from attachments so work can be carried out as quickly and safely as possible,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n

\"AA flag above a Birmingham residential street on August 18, 2025(Image: Leon Neal\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cLampposts and other street furniture need to be protected which is why highways staff across the city removed around 200 advertising banners and flags that had been attached to lampposts since the start of this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey take down attachments from lampposts routinely, including advertising signs, bunting trails and flags.\u201d<\/p>\n

The council said those who attached unauthorised items to lampposts could be \u201cputting their lives and those of motorists and pedestrians at risk\u201d.<\/p>\n

The listed risks included falling debris, electrical hazards, obscured visibility and weakening of the lamppost.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re continuing to do this every week and would ask that staff doing this work be allowed to continue this work unhindered,\u201d the council added.<\/p>\n

The organisers of the three fundraising campaigns have been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Birmingham City Council issued a new statement this week amid the appearance of more flags across the cityAn…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":356789,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7820],"tags":[855,984,748,393,4884,528,285,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-356788","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-birmingham","8":"tag-birmingham","9":"tag-birmingham-city-council","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-england","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-labour-party","14":"tag-politics","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115055450233023372","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=356788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/356788\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/356789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=356788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=356788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=356788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}