Birmingham city council is seeking an injunction to stop members of an anti-migrant group from erecting flags, including union jack and St George’s flags, on public infrastructure across the city.
A nationwide campaign to give prominence to the England flag, which resulted in thousands of St George’s crosses being flown from lamp-posts, roundabouts and other public infrastructure, is believed to have started last summer in Birmingham.
The “Raise the Colours” campaign has polarised opinion, with some viewing the flags as a sign of patriotism, while others have criticised it as a display of nationalism aimed at intimidating minority ethnic people. In July, Birmingham residents accused the city council of giving “free rein” to flag raisers.
The same month, Oxfordshire county council, where there has also been a proliferation of flag displays, secured a permanent high court injunction to stop the flying of flags from lamp-posts. Justice Dias said council workers “faced abuse or intimidation while taking flags down, as well as residents”.
On Wednesday, Birmingham city council said it was pursuing legal action to stop the raising of flags, based on evidence it had gathered, including incidents that involved harassment, intimidation or obstruction of staff who were tasked with removing them. The council’s application named the co-founder of the Raise the Colours campaign, Ryan Bridge, as well as seven others and “persons unknown”.
The Green party councillor Jane Baston, Birmingham city council’s cabinet member for equalities, communities and social justice, said: “The council is taking a lawful, proportionate and evidence-led approach to unauthorised attachments on the highway. This includes pursuing injunctive action based on the evidence gathered to date.
“Our priority is to protect public safety, staff and contractor welfare, community cohesion and the responsible use of public funds. We ask residents and community groups to support this approach and to ensure any displays are placed only where permission exists.”
The council said its approach was focused on lawful highway management, public safety, community cohesion, as well as the responsible use of public funds. It also said it continued to manage unauthorised attachments on public highways, including flags, banners and signage, through a structured and evidence-led process.
Raise the Colours, which describes itself as a “grassroots movement for unity and patriotism”, said it had not received or reviewed the court papers and could not comment on the application. The group, however, rejected “any suggestion that we are seeking to divide communities”, in a statement uploaded to Instagram.
Bridge was one of four named individuals who agreed to stop the unauthorised hanging of flags on or near public highways in Oxfordshire after that county council was granted an injunction.
In its claim to the high court, the Liberal Democrat council in Oxford said contractors removing flags had been met “with hostility and obstruction”. The claim also acknowledged Bridge was arrested in Oxford on suspicion of causing religiously and racially aggravated harassment in April. Thames Valley police said he had not been charged at this time and the investigation was ongoing.
Last week, Bridge pleaded not guilty to common assault after he was charged by Sussex police over an incident in Brighton in June and was released on court bail.
In July, the Guardian reported residents in Birmingham had met the city council and the West Midlands police and crime commissioner (PCC) several times over six months, highlighting concerns about the conduct of Raise the Colours and its activities.
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During the meetings, one resident – who did not want to be named – said the council and the PCC, Simon Foster, had been presented with a compilation of evidence, including brief statements, videos and images, from residents of incidents and confrontations involving Raise the Colours and others.
“We’ve been lobbying the council continuously to remove the flags, and they’ve been really dragging their heels about it,” she said in July.
The meetings also addressed an incident in May when a man was seriously injured in a hit-and-run after a group of people had gathered to remove flags. Two men have been arrested in relation to the incident and released on bail.
Local officials in Birmingham were also told about a 10-year ban on Bridge and others travelling to France after the French interior ministry said “far-right” activists had attempted to stop migrants from crossing the Channel in small boats.
On its website, Raise the Colours states it “does not support vigilante behaviour, unauthorised activity, or attempts by individuals to take the law into their own hands.
“Any individual choosing to travel abroad or take physical action does so entirely on their own initiative and without our support, approval or encouragement.”
