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submitted 1 day ago by LiamTheBox@lemmy.ml to c/askuk@feddit.uk

And why is this being related to rascism? It's not like people are burning the flag of other countries in videos.

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[-] GiveOver@feddit.uk 24 points 1 day ago

I once tried to explain to an American about how English/British flags are seen over here, and they really couldn't understand what I was talking about.

There's nothing inherently racist about flying a flag and showing a bit of pride, but for as long as I've been alive, I only ever see racists flying flags (outside of World Cup/Coronation etc). After decades of racists flying flags, I can't help but think that you're a racist if you're flying an England flag. Everybody in England kinda knows this, and the ones who disagree are suspect. It's a shame I suppose. I think if we really wanted to reverse this, IMO, you'd have to do something like fly an England flag but also fly a pride flag on the same pole. It's definitely NOT going to be reversed by a guy who calls himself "Andy Saxon" who used to be part of the English Defence League. That's gonna make it worse.

[-] Lumelore 19 points 1 day ago

As an American I can assure you that the vast majority of people flying American flags here are bigots. American leftists would easily understand your point about English/British flags.

[-] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago

I would say anyone not explicitly right wing in America would understand the point

[-] Denjin@feddit.uk 10 points 1 day ago

Andy Saxon?

Bloody Normans coming over here, establishing our parliament and codifying the rule of common law that our modern judicial system is based upon!

[-] GiveOver@feddit.uk 3 points 1 day ago

#stopthelongships

[-] mannycalavera@feddit.uk 5 points 1 day ago

You see flags everywhere in other countries when you travel. You see Indian flags, New Zealand flags, Canadian flags, Mexican flags, EU flags, Spanish flags, French flags, Croatian flags, South African flags, Irish flags, Scottish flags, Welsh flags. All showing pride in their country or themselves and nobody bats an eyelid.

Yet somehow the English and UK flag has to be put up by a racist. 🤷

I get that it has been unfortunately coopted by the far right and I'm not excusing that. But people also get gleeful when they have an opportunity, any opportunity, to brand someone a flag shagger or white van man. It's just where we are as a country right now.

[-] GiveOver@feddit.uk 5 points 1 day ago

On the internet, I agree with you, everybody jumps on one another at the slightest chance. It sucks. In the real world, people have a lot more nuance. I'm not gonna immediately throw a milkshake at somebody for having an England flag up, and most people probably wouldn't bat an eye.

I'm not gleeful about the flag thing at all. I like it when we win the Euros and I can fly a flag and be proud for a short while. I once went on holiday in Portugal during the World Cup and had little England flags on my car and a few people shouted "Inglaterra!" at us and it was great.

This rule absolutely works in Germany. In the US i would argue it also applies to an extent. Anywhere else it just means "nationalist" instead of "racist" which is only slightly better. States arent something to be proud of. Your state apparatus doesnt care about you and never will. Lots of people see their country's flag as a cultural symbol, but thats just misguided imo. Legally speaking the flag is a state symbol, not a cultural symbol. Flying a state flag means endorsing that state. This becomes apparent when a state turns bad like Israel. If you fly an Israeli flag people will assume that you endorse Israels genocide. Doesnt matter if there are a bunch of people living in Israel that dont endorse the genocide, the flag is the state and the state is the flag.

[-] KnitWit@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

That sounds exactly like what it is like in the states with the US flag as well. Kinda surprised they didn’t get it.

[-] GiveOver@feddit.uk 4 points 1 day ago

To be fair it was years ago, I guess the whole MAGA thing has changed the landscape

[-] KnitWit@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Yeah, nationalism is on the rise everywhere unfortunately.

[-] blimthepixie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 29 points 1 day ago

Racism masqueraded as patriotism and showing support for the Lionesses beating Spain in the football.

Same with the flags on lamposts, it's all really protesting about the migrant hotels.

If you watch it on the news, look at the protestors - it's always the mouth breathing morons who complain about immigration being too high and that they should be kicked out, but then they'll get taxis, takeaways, use the NHS etc and not even realise their own hypocrisy

[-] Digestive_Biscuit@feddit.uk 5 points 1 day ago

I haven't seen much of this in my area but there is a footbridge over a dual carriageway which has the union jack hanging on it. I don't if whoever did it selected that flag on purpose or just did it slightly wrong.

[-] blimthepixie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 day ago

Probably just a little bit less racist?

[-] Cherry@piefed.social 6 points 1 day ago

Could they at least do this over the potholes.

[-] LiamTheBox@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago

Nah, they will just clean it with water

[-] Nanook@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Meanwhile all the Brits hiding in mainland Europe: Speak English!

[-] fakeman_pretendname@feddit.uk 2 points 1 day ago

That's proportionally so wrong, it looks more like a St Patrick's Saltire (when viewed diagonally).

[-] baggins@beehaw.org 6 points 1 day ago

Because it's a certain type of person painting them.

Also, it's pretty disrespectful to the flag, it'll be driven, walked and cycled over.

[-] Patch@feddit.uk 3 points 15 hours ago

It's also against the law to mess with road markings. Road markings need to look like they're supposed to look; how they look conveys their meaning. You can't just let anybody with a tin of Dulux and a Very Important Cause go around making up their own road markings.

Highways authorities are required by law to remove vandalism like this, and the groups responsible will inevitably use this as an excuse to cry about being censored.

[-] Digestive_Biscuit@feddit.uk 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

It is. Painting it in the first place on the ground is the disrespect. After that it's nothing more than graffiti.

[-] LiamTheBox@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago

Kinda shows the point when illegal immigrants get more money than homeless people who don't abuse subtance use.

[-] apotheotic@beehaw.org 3 points 20 hours ago

Deranged for you to pretend you don't know why this is being linked to racism and then post something like this

[-] Patch@feddit.uk 2 points 15 hours ago

"This has nothing at all to do with racism, it's just pride in our football team. But apropos of nothing, how about all those illegal immigrants?!"

[-] apotheotic@beehaw.org 1 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

Love me footie

'Ate foreigners

Come on ingerland

[-] not_woody_shaw@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Is it the EDL doing it?

this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2025
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