For weeks, the St George’s and the Union flags have adorned lampposts all over York.
The campaign, coordinated via the ‘York Flaggers and Litterpickers’ Facebook page, has seen the numbers of flags multiplying and so have the conversations surrounding them.
It’s sparked a debate among York residents, with some seeing them as ‘patriotic’ and others calling them ‘racist’ and ‘fear provoking’.
On Saturday 13 September, right wing activist Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley Lennon) organised ‘Unite The Kingdom’, an anti-immigration protest in London which saw an estimated 150,000 people in attendance.
Three weeks later, Stand Up To Racism York organised the Unity Rally in St Helen’s Square on Saturday (4 October) in response to the increase in ‘race related hate crimes’ in York and the tensions stoked on social media across the UK over the last few months.
Helen Meadows, a representative of Stand Up to Racism said: “Often it appears the loudest voices on social media represent the majority and there has been a rise in horrible racist views expressed.
“The rally was an opportunity for the silent majority to show that you can be patriotic and still welcome and appreciate the diversity of people who make up Britain.”
The rally saw more than 350 people in St Helen’s Square, including York Central’s MP Rachael Maskell and Cllr Claire Douglas, leader of City of York Council, who both addressed the crowd.
Ms Maskell, who has spoken out against the flags before, addressed the crowd saying: “We don’t need a symbol or a sign or a flag of red and blue which seeks to divide when before me today and across our city we are a symbol of unity and community.”
She added: “We are a city worth much more than cheap bits of cloth half drooping from lampposts… we are a city that flies its values high.”
Cllr Claire Douglas told the crowd: “This is not York. It’s not patriotism. And it must stop.”
The councillor said she spoke to the ‘flaggers’ and “tried to find a way forward to resolve the issue” but had no luck reasoning with them: “Surprise, surprise, I got nothing.”
She encouraged the crowd to “get active in our communities and stand together.”
Helen,said: “It was heartening to see so many people at the rally.
“This is a very concerning and precarious time and Stand Up To Racism York will consider the need for further rallies of actions as required to ensure that the streets of York are safe for all.”
