The York flaggers have been busy over the weekend – and their campaign is dividing both the city and its leaders.
Union, Yorkshire and England flags are now attached to lampposts right into the city centre.
They can be seen on Duncombe Place, up to the front of York Minster.
YorkMix received messages from a number of people that the flags were being put up on Saturday night.
The campaign has split residents, with some welcoming the flags as a symbol of pride in region and country. There are many requests for more on the York Flaggers and Litter Pickers Facebook page.
Others though have expressed their concerns about it, saying the campaign is political in nature and it’s associated with racism and anti-immigrant sentiment.
One person said he was racially abused by people putting up flags in the Clifton area of the city.
Claire Douglas, the Labour leader of City of York Council, has already had her say on the flagging movement, and said the council would leave the flags up at least during the Women’s Rugby World Cup.
York Central MP Rachael Maskell has urged the council to take them down.
We asked the other party leaders for their response to the campaign.
‘Take them down’
York Green Party chair Denise Craghill said the flags should come down.
She told YorkMix: “The council needs to get a grip on the situation and act now to get the flags taken down.
“Whatever good intentions may or may not have been involved, this is now stoking a growing climate of racism, intimidation and fear for many of our residents.
“As a proclaimed Anti-Racist City and Human Rights City this is unacceptable.
“We all quite rightly want to be proud of where we live and that includes a city and a city centre that feels safe and welcoming to everyone.”
‘Work with residents’
Here’s what leader of the York Liberal Democrats Cllr Nigel Ayre said: “The Union Flag and St George’s Cross are symbols of national pride. It’s great that people want to fly them to celebrate what’s great about our country.
“People should be free to fly flags on their own homes or businesses, but of course they need permission when it comes to someone else’s property or public property such as lampposts, to avoid trespass, vandalism or criminal damage.
“The council should be taking more proactive steps to work with local residents to find more appropriate ways of displaying our national flags.
“Liberal Democrats are clear that the abuse and racist graffiti we have seen in recent weeks is totally unacceptable and we will always stand against racism and all forms of discrimination in our society.”
‘Cannot be a free-for-all’
“As a proudly patriotic person it saddens me that the initial Labour reaction to the flags has spoken of the national flag being associated with extremists, when it is the flag of our country. And for me, whilst we have not got everything right over hundreds of years, our country has a proud record.
“Seeing the flag flying at a sports event or at a military event in York or the Mall on a national occasion is always a great sight.
“There is undoubtedly an element of protest in the recent putting up of flags. People in my view are unhappy about many changes they have seen for the worse in the country.
“They are right to feel many of these are not being addressed or their voices listened to without everyone being labelled as an extremist.
“The issue with the recent flags is that they are being put on council property and lampposts cannot be a free for all, there must be common sense.
“For example a lost cat or summer fete poster on a lamppost would in my view be fine but we could not have commercial advertising.
“In this context I believe the number of flags put up in some areas has been excessive but i would not want to see them all come down.”
