Your correspondent who feels no display of the national flag could possibly give offence is, at best, naive (Letters, 31 August). If I turned up in their street in a balaclava and put up a dozen EU flags, would they regard this as a neutral act? It would, of course, be a political statement.
There is also the matter of permissions. As a city councillor I spend a good part of my time having unauthorised displays removed. This is mostly graffiti, but includes signboards and advertisements. Very few residents want a free-for-all on the streets, and the same applies to unauthorised flags.
I have asked the council to remove the small number of flags that have appeared in my area, plus the red stripe graffiti on traffic roundabouts. It’s clear they are nothing to do with celebrating our country, but a far-right attempt at intimidation. Genuine patriots don’t hide behind masks and disregard local community rules.
Cllr Phil Davis
Billesley Ward, Birmingham
• In the 1920s the Nazis adopted a Buddhist peace symbol (the swastika) and made it their own. Anyone flying one now is assumed to be a Nazi, not a Buddhist. Its hard on all the Buddhists, but here we are.
In the UK, the St George’s cross is mostly seen at far-right demonstrations, like the one at which gangs of violent thugs attempted to burn down a hotel, with the immigrant residents inside.
Anyone flying the St George’s cross now is assumed to be a far-right racist. It’s hard on all the patriots, but here we are. It no longer means what it used to.
Neil Knowles
London
• Recently in Birkenhead, Wirral, a union jack was tied to the railings of a Muslim centre. It was untied and flown from the windows. While intended to cause offence, the leaders told the BBC that “a strong and powerful response would be to show that this is our flag and we are proud British Muslims”. Maybe it is time for all organisations hated by the far right to reclaim their flag. Most British people and businesses are not generally flag flyers, but as a regular visitor to Wales, I am very used to seeing the Welsh people’s pride in their nation shown in the use of their national flag.
Lorna Walker
Liverpool
• The far right should not be allowed to take over national symbols, such as the flag. Take the example of Brazil, where in 2018-19 the far right took to the streets campaigning with the green and yellow Brazilian flag and wearing national football shirts, claiming they were patriots in opposition to the “others” that were not. To oppose it, the left flew the red flag of the PT (the local workers’ party) and wore red shirts.
From that time on, the far right fixed national symbols to their ideology, and the centre or left opposition was not able to recover them. So, I would strongly recommend that Britons hang on to their national symbols. It is important that the government, as well as all democratic parties, clearly state that they support the national flag, that they all are patriots too.
Nelson A Rocha
Cascais, Portugal
