England’s most patriotic street defies killjoy Green council to fly World Cup flags again
Torrington Avenue, in Bristol, were told by their Green-held city council to stop their tradition of decking the street with England flags earlier this month ahead of the World Cup kicking off.
The diktak sparked fury from locals, who told LBC that they thought the ruling from Cllr Tony Dyer was a “nonsense”.
“What people cannot do is fly flags on lampposts or railings or any public property,” said the Green leader of Bristol City Council.
He told residents: “We are currently taking down flags in sensitive locations as a priority and will be reviewing our strategy for removing other flags on our property.”
Dyer added that Bristol must remain “welcoming, respectful and safe for everyone during the tournament”.
Now, the residents have defied Cllr Dyer, and have hung flags from the lamposts to once again support the Three Lions in their quest for the World Cup trophy.
A local to the area celebrated their resistance to the council’s ban, writing: “Just love seeing this beautiful sight. A great community coming together.”
But not everyone shared the positive view of the display. Former Bristol mayor George Ferguson called the scene “chilling”, adding: “It’s not true patriotism but a deliberate intimidation of minorities. Our national flag has, under the guise of supporting England, been captured by those seeking to spread fear.”
Jon, who lives in the Bristol suburb, told LBC: “We’re in England, why not support England, you know? Show the passion, like unite the country, you know?
“Support them, why not? Why would they not allow that?”
He added: “I just think it’s nonsense, really.”
It comes as other local authorities have attempted to crackdown on flag flying on and around roads.
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After the council’s initial removal of the display, Torrington Ave local Luke told LBC “it’s disgusting” that locals can’t fly flags the same way they have before “because it’s (the World Cup) an event that happens once every 4 years”.
He said the street used to look “amazing” with “flags everywhere”, but now “it just looks dead. Like, it don’t even feel like the World Cup”.
“You ain’t got that World Cup feeling no more. Before, I just looked forward to the games more and everything like that because you see the passion. Now you don’t see much of that passion. Everything’s died.
“The thing is that people are scared now. People are worried to fly their own flag in their own country. That should not happen. It shouldn’t happen anywhere in any country”.
Bristol City Council is not the only local authority to rule out England flags on public property.
South Gloucestershire Council say “attaching flags, banners, or any other items to highway infrastructure such as lampposts, traffic signs or street furniture is not permitted without authorisation and may constitute a criminal offence”.
In a statement Bristol City Council said: “The World Cup should be a positive moment for our city, and we want people to enjoy supporting their teams. By celebrating responsibly and being mindful of others, we can ensure that Bristol remains welcoming, respectful and safe for everyone during the tournament.”
