Billy Bragg warns St George cross could ‘intimidate neighbours’ amid flag row
The English singer-songwriter, musician and anti-racism campaigner, Billy Bragg, told LBC’s Nick Abbot there are “different types of patriotism” amid a row over St George’s flags. Last week, residents in Birmingham installed hundreds of flags throughout the city in a “patriotic outpouring” and has since been followed by others across the country as part of ‘Operation Raise the Colours’.
Birmingham City Council announced that it had removed the flags as it was upgrading streetlights to energy-efficient LED lighting. Tower Hamlets Council then joined them in also removing them.
OPERATION #raisethecolours IS GOING NATIONWIDE
It’s even caught on in Tower Hamlets – normally festooned with Palestine flagsLet’s see how long the St George’s flags last. The Palestinian ones have been up two years…
— Martin Daubney 🇬🇧 (@MartinDaubney) August 17, 2025
The campaign group ‘Wythall Flaggers’ is now calling on locals to “cover every street” in the village, near Birmingham, in the St Georges cross. When quizzed on this, Mr Bragg – who describes himself as a “patriot” – said he didn’t want the “being used to intimidate my neighbours.”
He argued: “When you pick up a flag, you can’t expect to just have your meaning of it accepted by everybody.”
“I think, unfortunately, in the current context, where there’s so much hostility towards people who have come to this country without any papers.
He continued: “It’s a bit of a tinderbox around that issue. We’ve seen that with people outside the asylum hostels and I think people are clearly very angry about the situation.”
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said it is up to councils to deal with the issues in their areas, but any decisions made should be “sensible”.
A spokesperson said: “Flags are a vital part of celebrating our heritage and tradition.
“It is for councils to deal with specific issues in their areas, but we are clear they should make sensible decisions, taking into account the safety of their residents.”
Mr Bragg said: “I don’t want it to symbolise a narrow definition of Englishness where everybody has to conform to a particular historical narrative that is exclusive rather than being inclusive.
“England is an amazing place. It’s one of the most multicultural places in Europe, and I’m proud of it whenever I look.”
He pointed out: “I’m doing a benefit for Palestinian aid at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, and there will be a lot of Palestinian flags there. I’ll probably have one on stage.
“There will be some people who say, by flying that flag, you’re supporting terrorism. Whereas we know, our intentions are purely with regard to humanitarian aid for people in Gaza.
“So when you pick up a flag, you can’t expect to just have your meaning of it accepted by everybody. You’ve got to recognise there are other people and they may be wrong.”
Birmingham City Council wrote in a statement: “Placing unauthorised attachments on street furniture, particularly tall structures like lamp posts, can be dangerous.
“Lampposts are engineered for their specific purpose, and adding extra weight or stress from flags and attachments can cause them to weaken over time, potentially leading to collapse.”