A High Court judge has granted a wide-ranging injunction to stop a campaign of unauthorised flag-flying that has caused disruption, intimidation and safety concerns across Oxfordshire.
The order, made by Mr Justice Dexter Dias, applies to several named individuals, including Ben Cullen, Kevin Good, Ryan Bridge and Trudy Wells, as well as anyone linked to the groups Raise the Colours (RTC) and Raise the Colours Oxfordshire (RTCO).
The case follows months of activity dating back to August 2025, during which campaigners repeatedly attached Union Flags and St George’s Crosses to lampposts and other highway structures without permission. The court heard that council workers trying to remove the flags were regularly obstructed and, in some cases, subjected to abuse and intimidation. Thames Valley Police received 94 calls related to the campaign, with the response estimated to have cost more than £23,500.
In his judgment, Mr Justice Dias stressed there was nothing wrong with flying patriotic flags in itself, noting that government guidance supports the practice. However, he said flags must be displayed with the landowner’s permission, and attaching them to highway infrastructure without consent amounts to trespass and can be a criminal offence under the Highways Act.
The court also heard evidence of the impact on local people. Councillor Susanna Pressel received abusive and threatening emails after comments she made were leaked online. Highway contractors reported being followed, verbally abused and intimidated while carrying out their work, with one employee saying he was now afraid to go to work. A Wallingford resident also told the court that Mr Cullen made a finger-gun gesture towards them.
The judge rejected claims that the campaign was protected as peaceful protest or freedom of expression, saying the repeated behaviour had gone beyond lawful protest and that existing criminal penalties had failed to stop it.
The injunction bans those covered by the order from attaching flags to highway structures in Oxfordshire and from obstructing or harassing council staff and contractors removing them. The order will remain in force for 12 months and also applies to anyone who joins the campaign during that period.
Mr Justice Dias said the injunction was needed to protect the council’s property rights and ensure the public could use the county’s roads safely and without intimidation.
Photo: Sebastien Varin
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