Social media and British media have been consumed and divided in recent weeks by the growing number of people raising the St. George’s and Union Jack flags, so why the controversy?
Dubbed ‘Operation Raise the Colours,’ it has become a social media trend to paint a simple red cross over potholes and fading street indicators to see how quickly local councils will cover the symbol. Authorities, like Birmingham City Council, have cited safety concerns as reasons to remove the flags.
While many have claimed to raise the nation’s flag to demonstrate their pride in being British, according to BBC News, others have claimed that the flags are being used to signal that migrant and ethnic minority groups are unwelcome.
Dr James Freeman, a senior lecturer in political history at the University of Bristol told BBC News that in some cases far right groups were “attempt[ing] to legitimise their politics and make it part of the accepted national debate” through the flag debate.
While the symbols are"not the property of the far right," he claimed some were “using patriotism as a cover for ethnic nationalism.”
Some who had spent long nights placing the flags around their neighborhood and spent hundreds of pounds told the BBC that they took such action out of simple national pride.
"We aren't racist, we're just proud to be British, proud to be English, and we're just showing that," one man said. "No one's objected yet."
The Union Jack has appeared at several anti-immigration protests across the UK as the issue of Britain’s border controls becomes an increasingly heated topic.
With growing austerity, there has been tension over the public funding dedicated to migrants. Just over 32,000 migrants are housed in hotels across the UK, according to figures up to the end of June.
While the government plans to close all these by the next election, due in 2029, in the meantime its lawyers said it had a legal duty to provide accommodation to asylum seekers facing destitution, under its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.
Nigel Farage, leader of Britain's populist Reform UK party which is leading in opinion polls, claimed "Illegal migrants have more rights than the British people under (UK PM) Starmer" after the British government won a court ruling that means asylum seekers will not have to be evicted from a hotel where a resident was charged with sexual assault.
The same sentiment was mirrored by Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the main opposition Conservative Party, who stated, "Keir Starmer has shown that he puts the rights of illegal immigrants above the rights of British people who just want to feel safe in their towns and communities."
Anti-migrant sentiment follows reports of grooming gangs
Critics of housing asylum seekers in hotels say the costly policy can put the local community at risk and point to incidents where individual migrants have been accused of serious crimes, including serious sexual offenses against young girls.
The issue became increasingly discussed in June, after a review into abuse carried out by grooming gangs in England and Wales found large-scale sexual abuse and exploitation of minors.
The review, carried out under the request of Baroness Casey, found "disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds amongst suspects for group-based child sexual exploitation" in Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.
Following the review, and the conviction of an Ethiopian asylum seeker for the sexual assault of a teenage girl and a woman, protests have targeted hotels housing asylum seekers.
Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu was convicted at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl and a woman, attempting to sexually assault the girl, inciting her to engage in sexual activity and one count of harassment.
"This was an incident which became a cause of deep concern for the local community," said Rebecca Mundy, a prosecutor in the case.
Prosecutors said that on July 7 the girl had offered him pizza because he looked hungry and he had then tried to kiss her, put his hand on her thigh and said he wanted a baby with her and her friend, before inviting them back to the hotel.
The following day, he saw the girl, then in her school uniform, and attempted to kiss her again.
The asylum seeker, who said he was a teacher in Ethiopia, told the court the woman had given him her phone number and had kept asking him to her house.
Kebatu's arrest kicked off sometimes violent protests outside the hotel, and led the local council to win a temporary injunction to stop asylum seekers from being housed there.
Flags being used to target ethnic and religious minorities
A Chinese takeaway restaurant was spraypainted with the St George's Cross and a number of racist comments in York last week.
Dragon House was graffitied with the red symbol and "England,""geet up," and "cat n dog." The vandals also painted “go home” in red lettering on the building’s exterior.
“I feel truly heartbroken today. My Chinese takeaway, which has been serving this community for more than 10 years, was vandalized with hateful graffiti telling us to ‘go home,’” the owner wrote on Facebook. “This is not just paint on the wall — it is blatant discrimination, and it hurts deeply.
“The police are already following up on this incident. If anyone has seen anything or knows who did this, please contact us.
“We work hard every day to serve our customers with love and dedication. I believe our community is stronger than hate, and I hope everyone will stand together against this kind of behaviour.”
The restaurant later shared that local business Isaac Crystal Clean Windows York Limited rushed to clear the graffiti for free, and they had received letters from locals expressing their sympathies after the incident.
Last week, police also announced they were investigating a possible hate crime after the St George’s Cross was painted outside the Al-Majid Centre in Northumberland Avenue in Reading.
The graffiti was quickly removed, but a new cross replaced it the same day.
"Regardless of the symbols involved or sentiment being expressed," a Thames Valley Police spokesperson said. "Painting on the highway, including roundabout markings, constitutes an offence of criminal damage and will be investigated appropriately as well as being flagged to the relevant highway authority."
"Any incidents involving flags being attached to or flown from structures that are publicly owned will generally be referred to the local authority for them to assess and respond appropriately, unless there are other associated criminal offences."
A Union Jack was also found tied outside a mosque in Birkenhead, though The Wirral Deen Centre elected to relocate it to their front window.
Ibraham Syed, a representative from the mosque, told the BBC that he thought the flag "intended to cause offence" but he decided to use it as an opportunity to demonstrate “we are proud British Muslims.”
"My parents worked and lived here, my grandparents came here," he said. "So I think it's a common misconception that Muslims aren't regarded as British, we needed to address that."