Oxfordshire County Council in England is pursuing a High Court injunction to ban the display of the English and British flags on public highways, citing community “distress” and public safety.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: A local government in England has applied for a High Court injunction to prevent residents from displaying the English and British flags on public infrastructure. 📰 DETAIL: Oxfordshire County Council, which is controlled by the Liberal Democrats, a liberal-left party that wants Britain to rejoin the European Union (EU), has applied to the High Court for an injunction to prevent residents from putting up England’s St George’s Cross flag and Britain’s Union flag. The council claims that national flags are causing “distress within communities” and public safety risks. The council’s push for an injunction follows the Raise the Colours campaign, a nationwide initiative in which activists displayed the flags of the United Kingdom in public spaces. The council has already spent roughly £15,000 on flag removals, sparking criticism about its priorities. The council’s push for an injunction was announced on Wednesday. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “With the World Cup now underway and communities across the country coming together to support their national teams, many residents will also question whether this is really the right time to be escalating matters further through the courts. Common sense and proportionality should always guide decision-making, particularly when the costs involved are ultimately borne by taxpayers.” – Liam Walker, a Conservative Party councillor in Oxfordshire 🎯 IMPACT: If successful, the injunction could lead to penalties including imprisonment or fines for those who display the flags of England and Britain on English public highways. In March this year, a leaked draft of the government’s social cohesion policy called the British, English, and Scottish flags “tools of hate.” 👀 FLASHBACK: This is not the first time that Oxfordshire County Council has attacked the flags of England and Britain. In April earlier this year, it issued a formal notice to Raise the Colours, instructing the group to end its campaign. Liz Leffman, then-leader of Oxfordshire County Council, claimed: “The widespread installation of flags by Raise the Colours is not a sign of patriotism. It is an act of intimidation and division that is having a real and damaging impact on our communities.” |
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