London council bans Union flags and blasts those putting them up as ‘far-right’ | UK | News
London council has tabled a motion calling the campaign to fly British and British flags on lampposts and street furniture across the country “far-right”. Tower Hamlets Council offices in east London were the scene of heated protests on Wednesday night, when a group known as the Pink Ladies, who said they were calling for the protection and safety of women and children around asylum hotels, confronted pro-immigrant and anti-fascist demonstrators.
The flags were raised in the borough of Tower Hamlets, one of the UK’s most ethnically diverse areas, as part of the “Operation Raise the Colours” campaign, whose organizers have erected national banners on lampposts and roads across the country in recent months. While some argue that waving the flag is patriotic, others believe it may carry racial overtones.
The Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf, part of the Tower Hamlets Council borough, has been the scene of anti-asylum hotel protests since the Home Office mandated the area to host migrants earlier this year. This evening, a motion titled “Standing against the far right and combating unequal development on the Isle of Dogs” was tabled in the council chamber by Major Mufeedah Bustin and supported by Major Abdi Mohammed.
The council said the motion presented had nothing to do with the Pink Ladies movement and the group was not directly mentioned in the council or in the motion.
However, part of the motion states that residents have “valid concerns about safety, security and equality” but that these concerns “have been allowed to intertwine and escalate with far-right narratives under the banner of keeping women and children safe.”
Cllrs introduced the motion stating that “raising the flag as part of an anti-immigration protest creates fear and division” and that the campaign is “run by right-wing extremists”.
A spokesperson for Tower Hamlets Council said: “Tower Hamlets Council passed a motion at its full council meeting (Wednesday, October 8) reaffirming its commitment to community safety, harmony and standing up to hatred and division.
“The motion recognized the borough’s proud history of diversity and resistance to fascism, from the Battle of Cable Street to the present day.
“Council has committed to strengthening community engagement, particularly on the Isle of Dogs, supporting staff safety and maintaining public order in the face of intimidation, expanding the award-winning No Place for Hate programme, working with partners to counter far-right activity and misinformation, and investing in housing, counseling services and community infrastructure to tackle the root causes of division.
“The motion also condemns attempts by organized far-right groups to spread division and commits to protecting all residents, regardless of their background, so they feel safe, respected and listened to.”
The Pink Ladies were formed following protests around asylum hotels, including a row between the Home Office and the local council over the use of the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex. Following a series of lawsuits regarding sexual crimes involving hotel immigrants and women and girls, the Pink Ladies claimed they wanted to “protect our children” and ensure the safety of women.
Among the protesters was activist Sarah White, who had earlier protested outside the Epping hotel. For this show, she sprayed her body with pink spray. Liz Stevens, 61, a grandmother, said she was traveling from Epping. He said he never locked his door at home, but had done so since “the hotel started housing immigrants.”
“What I don’t want is for the politicians of this country to drag us into the mud, taking our children with them,” he said.
Lorraine Kavanagh, 70, founder of Pink Ladies, said: “We want to take the necessary action to protect women and children from these men.
“We’d actually prefer them in hotels because there’s police and you know where they are. I’m not anti-immigrant, Tower Hamlets is all built on immigrants and it enriches the area, but when you start filling an area with all kinds of people it causes friction.”
The Metropolitan Police said a police plan was in place and officers were present, but “no conditions” were imposed.
