{"id":961959,"date":"2026-05-15T17:01:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T17:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/961959\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T17:01:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T17:01:24","slug":"birmingham-mp-condemns-raise-the-colours-amid-reports-of-intimidation-and-violence-in-stirchley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/961959\/","title":{"rendered":"Birmingham MP condemns Raise the Colours amid reports of ‘intimidation and violence’ in Stirchley"},"content":{"rendered":"

Birmingham MP Al Carns has condemned the group known as Raise the Colours following reports of \u201cintimidation and violence\u201d in Stirchley<\/a> on Thursday.<\/p>\n

The Selly Oak<\/a> MP has written to West Midlands Police<\/a> after videos emerged on social media of heated confrontations between the group, known for putting flags up across the city, and residents.<\/p>\n

Police officers were also called to the scene in Stirchley amid these tensions.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> Birmingham MP urges government ‘be on red alert’ over city’s uncertain future<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The appearance of the flags in Birmingham<\/a> has been the subject of a fierce debate, with those responsible insisting it\u2019s a patriotic move to celebrate the country\u2019s history and achievements.<\/p>\n

But it also sparked deep concern from anti-racism campaigners and other Brummies amid claims those responsible are politically motivated and seeking to stir up division.<\/p>\n

Al Carns said today that he was \u201cseriously concerned\u201d by the scenes in Stirchley yesterday and directly criticised Raise the Colours (RTC) amid reports of \u201cintimidation\u201d.<\/p>\n

The group has often been seen in Stirchley putting flags up in the suburb and filming confrontations with locals.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Union Jack is a symbol of unity, not division, of patriotism, not polarisation,\u201d Mr Carns wrote on X, formerly Twitter.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A general view of Stirchley in 2023\/Al Carns, MP for Birmingham Selly Oak(Image: Martin O’Callaghan\/Birmingham Live\/Nick Wilkinson)<\/p>\n

\u201cI condemn all attempts to hijack our flag and sew violence in our communities for political gain.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his letter to the acting chief constable of West Midlands Police, the MP wrote: \u201cI am writing about recent events in Stirchley involving the group Raise the Colours and the issues being raised with me by my constituents.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy office has heard from dozens of residents whose accounts describe incidents of harassment, intimidation and physical assault by members of this group, many of whom are not from Birmingham.<\/p>\n

\u201cVideo evidence of some of these incidents is being shared online.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201cMy constituents want reassurance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey want to know that incidents of this kind will be taken seriously, that evidence will be followed up and that Stirchley will not see a repeat of what has happened.<\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/strong> The two maps which show how Birmingham politics have drastically changed in four years<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI would also welcome your thoughts on whether this is scope for the police and council to work together on preventative measures \u2013 include the kind of injunctions on unauthorised flag displays of any kind that have been used elsewhere in the country.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that this is now becoming more of an issue because of the tension already created \u2013 and there is considerable provocation at the heart of this.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrevention matters as much as response right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cI am keen to work constructively with you on this. My constituents deserve to feel safe in their own neighbourhood and I know that is something we both want.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read More: I’m sick of Raise the Colours flaggers – why it’s time Birmingham stopped them<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018Our priority is the safety of residents\u2019 \u2013 council<\/strong><\/p>\n

Birmingham City Council<\/a> said in a statement today it was aware of the \u201cincident in Stirchley and are aware that police were called to the scene\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are continuing to monitor locations across the city where community concerns are being reported and are aware of increased tensions in some areas,\u201d a spokesperson for the council said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are working closely with West Midlands Police, supporting their enquiries and any follow-up action that may be required. Our priority remains the safety and wellbeing of residents, staff, contractors and the wider community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe encourage all residents to act responsibly and respectfully to help maintain calm, reduce the risk of intimidation, and support community cohesion during this period.<\/p>\n

\u201cBirmingham is a proud and welcoming city, and we recognise the importance of national flags to many residents,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n

\"Birmingham<\/p>\n

Birmingham City Council House in Victoria Square(Image: Christopher Furlong\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Union Flag flies outside the Council House every day, reflecting both national pride and the diverse communities that make this city what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raise the Colours has been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n

The group says on its website that its flags are \u201cnot about division\u201d, they promote a message of \u201cunity\u201d and that it is committed to \u201clawful civic activism\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not encourage vigilante behaviour or unauthorised action of any kind,\u201d RTC adds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Birmingham MP Al Carns has condemned the group known as Raise the Colours following reports of \u201cintimidation and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":961960,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7820],"tags":[855,984,748,393,4884,16821,285,16,15,7830],"class_list":{"0":"post-961959","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-kings-heath-and-stirchley","14":"tag-politics","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-west-midlands-police"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116579670813818438","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/961959","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=961959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/961959\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/961960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=961959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=961959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=961959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}