Masked men in York who identified themselves as local council employees have left locals feeling terrified after the group were filmed taking down street flags in a heated confrontation.
Speaking exclusively to GB News, two anonymous residents who caught the supposed council workers have described the “intimidating” experience, which has since gone viral on social media.
“I saw them taking down flags whilst I was driving home, so I stopped the vehicle to ask what they were doing,” said one local resident, who wishes to remain anonymous after filming the incident.
“They identified themselves as working for the City of York Council and acted in an intimidating way towards me.”
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“I have been left very distressed by what has happened. The whole encounter has shaken my confidence, and I now feel scared to leave my own house - especially in the evening.
“No resident should feel this way on their own street,” they told The People's Channel.
The video, posted by Flag Force UK on X, shows the masked security guards shining flashlights in his face.
“It was disorienting and uncomfortable,” he said afterwards.
Residents said they were 'intimidated' by masked men
|FLAGFORCEUK
It was the second of such videos posted in the last two weeks.
A previous video, posted on October 30, showed six masked men confronting another resident who had been awoken by them.
Speaking anonymously to GB News, the resident recounted a similar ordeal, being told to “take it up with the council” when he objected to their presence at 2.30 in the morning.
“They were taking down flags which I had put up. But the big difference was I placed them in the daytime, and faced no resistance; they needed to remove them in the dead of night”.
When presented with the videos, City of York Council refused to confirm or deny whether the masked men caught on tape were working for them, but did say: “We have a contractor undertaking the removal of flags illegally fixed to council lampposts across the city and this work is progressing well”.
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The masked men were removing flags
|Residents said they were 'intimidated' by masked men
“We won’t be releasing any details about the contractor due to ongoing threats of violence and intimidation towards council staff and contractors doing this work.
“We don’t have any information about the video clips in question and would not comment on it without the full facts.”
The X account which posted these videos, Flag Force UK, grew to prominence in the Summer during the widespread “flagging” operations across Britain.
An organiser with the group, Joseph Moulton, claimed in August that the trend was driven by a desire to restore “national pride” in the country.
“For us, raising the flag and tidying the local area is about mobilising the community, rekindling social responsibility, and restoring pride in where we live.
“In recent years, especially since Covid, the loss of pubs and communal spaces, and the pressures of the cost of living, people have become more atomised and insular,” Mr Moulton said.
City of York Council have been contacted for contact.
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