"Britain's most patriotic town" has hit back at critics of their flag installations after local authorities began removing the displays.
The controversy emerged when Birmingham City Council started taking down Union Jack and St George's Cross displays from street lighting, citing potential hazards to public safety in Weoley Castle and Northfield.
Residents across the neighbourhoods have expressed weariness at defending their national identity, with many rejecting suggestions that displaying England's flag constitutes prejudice.
"I have never understood why when the Welsh fly their flag they are Welsh, when the Scots do it they are Scots but when the English do it, we're racist," said Darren Elms, a 55-year-old Highters Heath Lane resident who has worked in various industries.
Elms emphasised inclusivity, telling The Sun: "As far as I am concerned anyone born here is English. You can be of any faith or no faith, any colour it does not matter. The flag is here for everyone."
Sue Denton, 67, echoed similar sentiments, asserting that Birmingham residents would resist council directives: "This is what Birmingham people are about if you tell us what to do, we'll do the opposite."
The Labour-controlled authority maintains that approximately 200 promotional materials and flags have been removed from lampposts since January.
Officials insisting the policy targets all unauthorised attachments rather than specific national symbols.
Flags were raised in the towns in South Birmingham
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Former West Midlands Police investigator Hayley Owens condemned the council's actions as "disgusting" during a television appearance, arguing that the displays foster community cohesion and local pride.
She told GB News: "I don't see how you can live in England by choice and be offended by that. I'm not having it."
Residents remain unconvinced by the safety rationale.
Christine Lee, a 68-year-old retired benefits officer, dismissed the explanation: "For the council to tell us they had to come down due to the stress on lampposts...I mean really, how stupid do they think we are?"
Roundabouts painted as St George's flags in nearby Yardley Wood
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The removals have prompted increased installations across Weoley Castle, Northfield and Highters Heath Lane, where flags now adorn every lamppost along entire stretches of road.
The flag movement forms part of a broader campaign called Operation Raise the Colours, with flags appearing on streetlamps and buildings throughout the UK amid heightened debates over immigration and asylum accommodation.
Adrian Treacy, a 57-year-old builder, attributed the phenomenon to accumulated frustration: "For the last 30 years we have been bowing down and trying not to offend and people are sick of it."
Marie, a 73-year-old retired civil servant, connected the displays to wider political dissatisfaction: "We, the people, are not getting listened to at all and they forget that it is people like us who go to the polling stations."
St George's flags fly from lampposts in Highters Heath
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Charity worker Matthew Barnett said: "There have always been flags up in this part of Birmingham. It is one of the most patriotic places around. Now they are everywhere and I do not see anything negative about it.
"I don’t mind any flag. This is a multi-cultural area and if everyone wants to fly their flag that is fine with me. But there should not be an issue with the England flag in England, that’s just nonsense.
However, not everyone was convinced by the move. Hairdresser Lindsay Sheard added: "I am not really comfortable with it. I heard it was down to one man and it’s all connected to the hotel protests.
"I know we can’t afford it and it needs sorting but people have to go somewhere. It is not a consensus in this area."
Greens Leader Zack Polanski said some people could see the flag as being 'intimidation'
| GETTYPrime Minister Sir Keir Starmer recently declared himself a "supporter of flags", dismissing claims that displaying England's ensign should be considered racist and revealing he maintains a St George's Cross in his flat.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told his party's conference there is "barely a lamp-post" without a St George’s or Union flag on it.
He added: "British people are sticking two fingers up with every flag they place, to an establishment that doesn’t believe in Britain, to an establishment that thinks more of the interests of other countries and foreign courts than it thinks about its own people."
Meanwhile, when asked whether flying the flag outside one’s home at a time of heightened tension could be intimidating, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said: "I think people can experience it as intimidation.
"I think if those communities are intimidated, again the patriotic thing to do would be to have those conversations with your neighbours, have those conversations with the communities."