'I'm not surprised, people are fed up' - The Shrewsbury street full of St George’s crosses and Union Jacks
It might look like a scene from the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee or the Last Night of the Proms, but English and British flags have been unfurled up and down the country for different reasons this time.
There may just be a small smattering of St George’s crosses and Union Jacks fluttering from lamp posts and windows across Shropshire at large.
However, Mount Pleasant Road in Harlescott, Shrewsbury has about 30 flags waving in the wind.
The flags have emerged amid a politically charged summer, dominated by the topic of immigration.
Some say it’s all about national pride, while others are concerned it is furthering an anti-immigration sentiment.
One resident in Mount Pleasant Road said: “I’m not surprised they've gone up. It’s not something that's unique to Shrewsbury or Shropshire. The flags are going up all over the country.
“People are fed up with the cost of living and crime. Some people think immigration is a big part of that.
“They’ve had enough of the Government and want to find a way of making themselves heard.”
She added: “I was away over the weekend. They [the flags] weren’t there before I went. I don’t know who put them up.”
While some regard displaying the flags as patriotic, others may consider it threatening, given the Union Jack was adopted by the National Front in the 1970s and promoted white supremacist views, and the St George flag was often brandished by football hooligans.
Another Harlescott resident feels it's "a shame" that our flags have those negative links.
He said: “They went up on Saturday morning. There were quite a few putting them up.
“People feel like they are not being listened to.
“Some people might say it’s racist but I don’t think that’s right. It’s a shame we can’t fly the flag without people saying it’s racist.
“It’ll be interesting to see if the council takes them down.”
