The man behind the England flag campaign in York has been accused of hypocrisy after taking down the flags of other nations.
Joseph Moulton, who has attached hundreds of England, Union and Yorkshire flags to lampposts across York, took down international flags which had been put up along Hull Road.
They were placed there – alongside the existing England flags – by volunteers from the International Flagging Committee.
This group had previously told YorkMix that they wanted to put up global flags in time to welcome the international students who are studying in York this year.
They said “flying as many other nations’ flags alongside our own signals the unity that the Union flag represents”.
A fundraiser brought in more than £1,500. The organisers then bought 250 international flags and put up 15 last night.
But this morning Mr Moulton and his followers took them down.
A spokesperson for the International Flagging Committee told YorkMix: “We sent out groups to put some up last night as a test run.
“They just put up 15 random ones from the 250 flags that we’ve got. A couple of threats came – somebody came up and said, ‘they’re only going to last ten minutes’ – but we also got a lot of support from people going past, which was nice.
“And the following morning Joseph Moulton showed up and took them down.”
They added: “I’m not sure the message they’re trying to send here, but it certainly doesn’t send a message of inclusivity and non-racist connotations.
“It’s ridiculous. There’s no attempt on their part to even appear to be impartial or even try not to be hypocritical.”
Mr Moulton had previously told us that his group would report anyone who snipped the ties and removed their England flags to police. “A flag being attached to a lamppost is no different than a bike being being locked to a lamppost, if you cut the lock and then run off with the bike. It’s still theft,” he said.
“The group has been posting a lot about how it’s illegal to remove the flags because they’ve been left there intentionally, and then they’ve just gone and taken ours down,” the International Flagging Committee spokesperson said.
“It cost about 20 quids’ worth of zip ties and flags to prove that this is hypocritical action.”
‘It’s a direct protest against us’
We asked Mr Moulton why he had taken them down. “Because they’re not a national flag, and they weren’t interested in putting these flags up prior to us putting ours up. It’s a direct protest against what we’re doing.
“They’re in opposition to us raising our issues, and they’re trying to dilute things and murky the waters. As I mentioned before, the national flag is the symbol which anyone who lives in this country can rally behind. If they choose not to, that’s on them.”
He denied the accusation of hypocrisy, saying they had kept the international flags and the group could collect them whenever they wanted. They hadn’t stolen or damaged them like some people had done with the England flags.
Mr Moulton argued that some of the international flags put up were inappropriate. He said “the Croatian flag during the Yugoslav wars” was associated with “arguably ethnic cleansing going on under that against Bosnians and Serbs. I doubt they’d be very happy at seeing that flag, and it could throw some bad memories for them.”
YorkMix put it to him that the England and Union flags were associated with criminal acts committed during Britain’s imperial past.
He replied: “If you move from a country and you felt really strongly against the Union flag, because it was the flag of the British Empire, and there were colonial things that were going to be triggering to you, and you choose to move to Britain, that’s on you.”
Isn’t it a nice gesture to put up international flags in a global city like York?
“We’re not a global city, we’re an English city, we’re a Yorkshire city.
“We’re a city in a country which has people from all over the world, but we’re an English city. We’re not an international city,” Mr Moulton said.
He added: “They put the Pride flags up. I don’t like the Pride flag. Because I don’t feel like it represents me. I think it represents a very poisonous ideology.
“I think you’ll find a lot of the Islamic community in York will also not like the Pride flag.”
So would he be happy to see an Islamic flag go up?
“No I wouldn’t. I don’t want any flag other than our national flags and our county flags.”
Doesn’t that look more xenophobic than patriotic? “There’s nothing xenophobic about wanting your national flag to be flown. These flags were flown in reaction to us putting the flags up.
“They weren’t interested in doing it before we did it. That’s the bottom line.”
What about supporting the British traits of tolerance and freedom of expression by allowing the international flags to fly?
“I’m not against freedom of expression at all,” he said. “I had the freedom to take it down, so they have the freedom to put it up.
“I’m not stopping anybody from having an opinion. I just don’t want to see flags of foreign nations flying in my city without just cause.”
Does that mean that other people can take down the England flags as long as they keep them and you can go and collect them?
“I would rather you didn’t, but if you decide to take them down, I’d like you to return them to us.”
Mr Moulton agreed that he didn’t represent everyone in York when it comes to which flags should stay or go, but added: “I represent the people who I represent, and they don’t want it, so I represented their interests.”
The International Flagging Committee say they will keep putting the global flags up, but will not touch the England, Union or Yorkshire flags.
