Broadcaster Carole Malone has launched a scathing attack on local authorities removing British flags from public spaces on GB News today, declaring "how dare they" in response to recent council actions.
Her comments follow a series of incidents where councils have taken down flags displayed by residents.
Two local authorities have taken down St George's flags that residents had attached to street infrastructure, citing maintenance requirements.
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Carole Malone unleashed a furious rant
|GB NEWS
Mrs Malone said: "These British flags are being hoisted everywhere now. So why do some councils want to take them down? It’s outrageous how dare they?
"If you have a problem with our flag, then perhaps you’re living in the wrong country. Go and live somewhere else if you want to fly another flag. If you want to fly the Palestinian flag, then go to Palestine.
"And here’s the interesting thing: Birmingham Council lit up their library in green and white to celebrate Pakistani Independence Day. Why? This isn’t Pakistan. Why can they do that, yet we can’t fly the British flag?
"For years we’ve been told that flying the flag 'offends' or 'alienates' ethnic minorities. But the truth is, many ethnic minority people care far more about their British identity than some white people do.
"Think about it: we even had a schoolgirl recently punished for wearing a Union Jack dress. Why? Why are we being told that our own flag is racist, nationalistic, or triumphalist? It isn’t. It’s a symbol of love for our country.
"I love my country, and I’m proud of the flag. I’m sick of being dragged back into endless debates about colonialism. That happened hundreds of years ago. We cannot keep apologising forever. This is Britain now, and plenty of people from every background love it."
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The removals have occurred against a backdrop of increasing flag-related activism across England.
Protest groups have been mounting Union Jacks and St George's crosses on lampposts throughout the past week, particularly targeting Labour-controlled local authorities.
These activists claim councils operate double standards regarding which flags are permitted in public spaces, alleging that Palestinian flags receive different treatment to British ones.
The flag removals have intensified an already heated debate about national symbols and their display in public areas.
St George's flags have been attached to lamp posts in Tower Hamlets | XEvery Reform UK-controlled local authority has committed to keeping any British flags that appear on their infrastructure, marking a stark contrast to other councils' approaches.
The twelve councils under Reform UK leadership have collectively promised not to remove Union Jacks or St George's crosses attached to lampposts in their areas.
Reform UK characterised the flags as representations of "unity and inclusion" in their announcement today.
The party indicated that any such flags erected within their councils' boundaries would be allowed to remain in place.