Oxfordshire County Council has threatened legal action against a campaign group over the unauthorised installation of Union Jack and St George’s flags.
The local authority has issued a legal notice ordering the group, known as Raise the Colours, to stop placing flags ‘on or near highways, without consent’, warning that failure to comply could lead to civil or criminal proceedings.
Raise the Colours describes itself as a grassroots patriotic movement promoting ‘unity and shared identity’. However, councillors, MPs and campaigners say the activity has caused fear and division in some communities.
Council leader Liz Leffman said the displays had become ‘an act of intimidation and division’ rather than a celebration of national identity. She said residents had reported feeling ‘distressed, unwelcome and unsafe’, and that staff removing flags had faced abuse and threats.
The issue escalated after a confrontation on Oxford’s Abingdon Road in March, where videos circulated online showing exchanges between flag installers and local residents.
Thames Valley Police later confirmed an investigation into the incident, while a 44-year-old man linked to the campaign was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated harassment and causing alarm or distress.
Support for the council’s action has come from across the political spectrum. Liberal Democrat MP Calum Miller said residents should not feel unsafe in their communities, while Labour councillor Brad Baines welcomed what he described as firm action against ‘illegal activity’.
Even some Conservatives who had previously supported greater public displays of national flags backed enforcement measures.
Photo: simon frederick
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