Today the title on my thumbnail is “Anti-British council” and this stems from a tweet I saw from David Vance recently which said “Tower Hamlets Council is anti-British.” It certainly seems that way, and we’ll look at the Daily Mail article in a second.
Daily Mail report: flags removed in East London
According to the Daily Mail, there were moments workers tore down St George’s Crosses on the orders of a council that had prided itself on Palestinian banners, as “flag wars” spread across Britain. The report said:
“Council workers have begun tearing down St George’s Crosses in East London as flag wars spread across Britain. Tower Hamlets previously prided itself on its displays of Palestinian banners, but said any flags attached to council property as part of an online movement called Operation Raise the Colors would promptly be removed.”
The initiative has spread to towns and cities including Bradford, Newcastle, Norwich, and Swindon, with activists putting up England and UK flags in defiance of council bans. It’s amazing that it’s come to this.
Downing Street’s stance
Downing Street today backed people flying British or English flags in their local communities. However, amid the ongoing rows between residents and some councils, Number 10 declined to comment on individual cases.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the PM has always talked about his pride in being British and his patriotism. He has talked about this previously and most recently when the Lionesses had their successful campaign in the Euros. Asked if he was in support of putting up English flags, his official spokesman replied, “Absolutely.”
He also highlighted how St George’s flags are flown in Downing Street every time England’s men’s or women’s football teams play important games.
Why would Tower Hamlets take down the flags?
Out of interest, I asked myself: why would Tower Hamlets want to take down the British flag? It’s England. It’s London.
I did a quick Google search for councillors in Tower Hamlets and looked at the list in alphabetical order. I noticed many names that appear to be Muslim. There is also a Conservative councillor, Peter Golds, but the council seems to be made up of a large number of members with Muslim-sounding names. To me, that’s a shame, because if you come to a country (and the same would apply if I moved abroad), you’d expect to go by the rules and take pride in that country. That would be why you were going there. It seems a bit different here, which is a great shame.
So much better looking than the child mutilation cult zebra crossings. 👏
— Laurence Fox (@LozzaFox) August 18, 2025
Coverage elsewhere and a clip from Birmingham
A similar story to the Daily Mail’s piece appeared in the Daily Telegraph. There was also something a bit brighter I saw from Laurence Fox. I’ll show a little of that video: it’s from Birmingham.
Someone was painting an English flag on a roundabout. Now, I don’t agree with vandalism, but I understand where they’re coming from, and it makes sense in terms of making the English presence known. The video is a little longer, but that’s the essence—people wanting to show pride in their country. You can also see this on YouTube.
A Christian perspective: firm foundations and true hope
As this is a Christian channel, I normally look at some Scriptures. When we see what’s going on in this country, it’s easy to feel disheartened. But we have to remember that life on this earth is temporary and Jesus is coming back for His people. We can make a stand, but we must remember the gospel truth. For more on this, see my post on freedom of speech in the UK and how biblical truth connects to it.
Standing firm in Christ, not ashamed of Him
Romans 1:16 (NKJV): “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”
God’s Word as a lasting foundation
Isaiah 40:8 (NKJV): “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”
Righteousness exalts a nation
Proverbs 14:34 (NKJV): “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
Our ultimate citizenship is in heaven
Philippians 3:20 (NKJV): “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Christ as the true cornerstone
Ephesians 2:19–20 (NKJV): “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.”
The Gospel invitation
Maybe you’re listening to this and you’re seeing how the world’s going—especially the UK. It may feel like it’s falling apart. But there is hope because Jesus died a painful death on a cross so that we could have the wonderful gift of eternal life. If we truly believe in Him and believe that He died and rose again, then we can have that wonderful gift of eternal life—and so much more. I’ve written more on this in Is Britain trading the Bible for Sharia?
If you’re not a Christian, maybe you’d like to say this prayer with me:
“Dear Lord Jesus, I acknowledge You as Lord and Savior of my life. I repent of all my sins and I ask You today to take over complete control of every aspect of my life. Amen.”
If you said that prayer and you genuinely meant it, it means the born-again Spirit can come and live within you. You can be set free and receive that wonderful gift of eternal life—and so much more.