The 'St George' Flag That Wasn't: Patriots' Roundabout Own Goal

A small act of vandalism in Hereford summed up a bigger fight. People meant to paint England’s St George’s Cross on a Newton Farm roundabout. They ended up with a white Nordic cross on red — the Danish flag. Police say they are probing criminal damage. The episode is tied to a wider push to put England’s flag - or approximations of it - in streets and on roundabouts around the country. 

The paint job was meant as a show of national pride. It landed as a joke and a warning. Video and photos went online and spread fast. Councils and police say the acts are unsafe and illegal on highways. One senior officer said painting roundabouts can be dangerous to drivers and pedestrians and may amount to criminal damage.

It was described on social media as 'the most far-right thing you've ever seen'.

Groups calling themselves Operation Raise the Colours and small local fundraisers have urged people to put up St George’s Cross and Union flags. Some organisers say the drive is about local pride. Others see it as a political move that may feed anti-immigrant feeling. At least one village fundraiser raised more than £2,000 to “coat the local community in England flags”. Critics link the trend to protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers and to online calls to mobilise.

Estate agents have said the presence of St George's flags on a street will lower house values - it has even been suggested that some sales have already fallen through.

Experts and campaigners warn of harm. Lewis Nielsen of Stand Up to Racism said the campaign could give cover to far-right groups and is “dangerous”, a view that echoes concerns from community leaders in diverse parts of the country. That fear is not idle: recent weeks have seen flag displays in cities from Birmingham to Portsmouth and at least five roundabouts repainted in the West Midlands alone. 

Politicians are split. The prime minister’s office said the PM is a “patriot” who accepts people flying national flags, but other figures have framed council removals as evidence of anti-British bias. What the populist right view as reclaiming national symbols has been welcomed by some Conservative voices and by Reform figures; what critics view as an act of intimidation has alarmed anti-racism groups and many residents. 

There is a wider backdrop. Journalists have compared the scene here with flag-fuelled populism abroad, where national symbols have become tools of political mobilisation and exclusion. In the US, for example, flags tied to political movements have hardened divides and signalled who is not welcome; analysts warn Britain may follow that pattern if leaders do not calm the debate. 

The Hereford mishap is small and silly. It also matters. Symbols shape how people feel in streets and at home. If leaders, police and councils treat the issue only as noise, the symbols may harden into signs of threat. If they act to protect public safety and to insist on an inclusive patriotism, they can prevent that drift. The stakes go beyond paint. They are about who can belong.

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References

Metro, “Patriots mistakenly paint Danish flag on English roundabout”, Metro, 26 August 2025, https://metro.co.uk/2025/08/26/patriots-mistakenly-paint-danish-flag-english-roundabout-24004892/

Esther Addley, “‘Don’t call this racist’: row grows over motives behind England flag campaign”, The Guardian, 20 August 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/aug/20/row-grows-over-motives-behind-england-flag-campaign-far-right-racist

Catarina Demony and Vitalii Yalahuzian, “England flags spark pride and concern amid anti-immigration protests”, Reuters, 27 August 2025, https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/england-flags-spark-pride-concern-amid-anti-immigration-protests-2025-08-27/

“Police investigate St George’s flag painted on roundabout”, Yahoo News, 2025, https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/police-investigate-st-george-flag-182402398.html

Kelly Brown, “More St George’s crosses appear on Portsmouth road markings as national trend continues”, The Portsmouth News, 25 August 2025, https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/politics/more-st-georges-crosses-appear-on-portsmouth-road-markings-5286855

Sophie Little, “St George's cross painted on roundabout removed by council as police launch criminal damage inquiry”, GB News, 20 August 2025, https://www.gbnews.com/news/birmingham-news-st-georges-cross-roundabout-police-criminal-damage-inquiry

David A. Fahrenthold et al., “England's flag is swept up in an anti-immigration wave energized by Trump”, The Washington Post, 22 August 2025, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/08/22/england-flag-immigration-protest-racism/