![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2_JS378872794.jpg\")
The two men wearing St George’s masks were captured on camera <\/p>\nThe latest incidents come amid a wave of similar displays around the country, which have divided opinion over the summerThe two men wearing St George’s masks were captured on camera <\/p>\n
Two men wearing St George’s masks have been filmed painting England flags on roundabouts and zebra crossings throughout a town.<\/p>\n
The duo were seen sprinting through Walsall’s streets in the West Midlands, carrying paint pots and rollers during the weekend.<\/p>\n
They’re thought to be responsible for a St George’s cross<\/a> painted on a mini-roundabout in Bentley and another on a zebra crossing in Willenhall. These latest incidents follow a surge of similar displays across the country, which have sparked debate throughout the summer.<\/p>\n Images of the men rushing back to their car were obtained by the Birmz is Grime news blog and shared on social media.<\/p>\n The response was largely supportive, though some critics condemned their behaviour, labelling them “idiots” and “vandals”.<\/p>\n One person wrote: “Saving the country, one mini roundabout at a time.”<\/p>\n Another added: “Give them a medal” while a third commented: “Some one needs to buy these men a pint.”<\/p>\n However, one web user added: “So proud can’t even show their face. Britain at its finest”. Another said: “Vandalising his own country.”<\/p>\n Never miss a story with the MEN’s daily Catch Up newsletter – get it in your inbox by signing up <\/strong>here<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Another put: “And its taxypayer’s money which will be used to clear this up. What is the point, absolute idiots.”<\/p>\n A West Midlands Police<\/a> spokesperson said: “We’re aware of criminal damage having occurred and we’re carrying out further enquiries.”<\/p>\n Leader of Walsall Council, Councillor Mike Bird, said: “Walsall Council prioritises community cohesion and public safety and is adopting a measured approach to recent increases in St George’s and Union flags appearing in parts of Walsall.<\/p>\n “The council recognises the positive intention of residents who wish to celebrate national identity, whilst being mindful that others have concerns about safety and inclusivity.<\/p>\n “We also remind our residents that attachments to lampposts and any other alterations to street furniture can pose hazards to pedestrians, motorists, and maintenance staff.<\/p>\n “Flags may need to be removed as part of routine maintenance should they pose any obstructions or risks.<\/p>\n “We will continue to work with our communities to explain safety requirements and explore alternative ways to celebrate our identity.”<\/p>\n Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group <\/strong>HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Similar campaigns have spread to different areas of the country, with England and Union flags appearing on streets and from lampposts.<\/p>\n It became part of a movement started online called Operation Raise the Colours.<\/p>\n Despite those responsible claiming the gestures were ‘patriotic not racist’, some police forces have launched investigations into the “acts of vandalism”.<\/p>\n And neighbouring Birmingham City Council said flags on lampposts would be removed as they were a “safety hazard”.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the authority said: “Painting the flag of St George on road islands, while expressing national pride, is unlawful and potentially dangerous for the person painting the flag and for motorists.”<\/p>\n Richard Parker, Labour<\/a> mayor for the West Midlands, told the BBC<\/a> last week: “I am very supportive of anyone who wants to display their patriotism and passion for this country, while also being clear that we need to do that safely.<\/p>\n “If we are going to see more of this, we need to work with our public authorities in the region to make sure it is done in a safe way.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The latest incidents come amid a wave of similar displays around the country, which have divided opinion over…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":377063,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,393,4884,378,2465,603,16,15,7830],"class_list":{"0":"post-377062","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-in-the-news","12":"tag-manchester","13":"tag-national-news","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-west-midlands-police"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115099604818474012","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377062","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=377062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377062\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/377063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2_JS378872791.jpg\")
The incident follows similar acts across the country this summer<\/p>\n![\"Some](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1_JS378872785.jpg\")
Some police forces have launched investigations into the ‘acts of vandalism’<\/p>\n