The leader of City of York Council has issued a statement following the appearance of lots of flags on lampposts in the city.
YorkMix reported yesterday (Friday) that both Union and St George’s flats have been recently attached to lampposts in areas including Hull Road and Tang Hall.
It’s apparently connected to a national campaign, possibly linked to Flag Force UK.
Council leader Claire Douglas today released this statement in response to the issue.
“Many of you will have seen the Union flag and flag of St. George going up on lampposts in parts of our city.
“For many people in this country the flags are a symbol of patriotism. It is right to have a deep pride in our home, city and country.
“It is important that alongside this deep-felt patriotism we should also be aware that flying the flag unfortunately stirs memories for some members of our communities of their experience of racism and persecution.
“In York, we are all going to have to work together to find a way of acknowledging these conflicting facts and allowing both of these feelings to sit alongside each other.
“I would like to meet and talk to the organisers of the flag flying and the communities who feel most threatened and uncomfortable. I will be in touch with you to arrange these conversations. So, we can all work to understand each other better.
“The flag flyers have also said that they want to get involved in community activities like litter picking and support for foodbanks. I am more than happy to support them in this so their efforts get to the places where they are needed the most.
“The council has a proud and successful record of coordinating and assisting volunteers in different community activities such as litter picking.
“I ask everyone who is interested in making our beautiful city clean and tidy to get in touch. We can help make sure you have the tools to do the jobs.
“The flags that have recently been put up on lampposts have not been erected through the correct procedure or by using the correct equipment. This causes safety issues for the people putting them up, pedestrians and road users.
“You are always able to put flags up on your own properties or vehicles, but not on property owned by others, this includes both publicly owned street furniture and private property.
“The Women’s Rugby World Cup has now started and we hope to see the England team perform to their very best.
“We will be leaving the Union and England flags up, that don’t cause any danger or harm, during the Rugby World Cup to proudly support our national team. I hope this is something we can all get behind.”