"A Labour council has been accused of embracing flag terror after offering 500 grants to groups to erect union jack and St George's flags in a town previously rocked by racial tension. The leaders of Rotherham council, in South Yorkshire, said they wanted the flags to be a symbol of unity and did not want to surrender them to extremist or far-right groups."
"Rotherham was the scene of one of the worst cases of civil disorder in recent history in 2024 when demonstrators tried to set fire to a hotel housing asylum seekers as race-fuelled riots spread across England. The area has also been a magnet for far-right figures for years after it was one of the first places exposed in the grooming gangs scandal."
"In a scheme announced quietly on its website last week, Rotherham council said it would offer 500 grants to community groups and parish councils to cover the cost of erecting a flagpole with either a union jack or St George's flag. Chris Read, the council's Labour leader, on Wednesday defended the use of the tiny sum of a few thousand pounds by an authority whose debts rose to 677m last year."
Rotherham council will offer 500 grants to community groups and parish councils to cover flagpoles flying either the Union Jack or St George's flag. The initiative aims to present national symbols as a unifying presence and to prevent their exclusive use by extremist or far-right groups. The move follows widespread concern about rising ethno-nationalism after thousands of national flags were erected by groups linked to rightwing figures. Rotherham experienced race-fuelled riots in 2024 and has previously attracted far-right attention after exposure of grooming gangs. The council leader defended the small, underspend-funded cost and said informal flags deemed disrespectful will be removed.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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