Signatories will remain anonymous - they are solely for an honest count for a press release (e.g. 1,000 Oxfordshire residents have signed a petition....). We plan to arrange a lobby of the council and there is an option to leave your email for future contact.
We the undersigned, welcome Oxfordshire County Council's decision to remove some of the St George and Union Jack flags being tied in large numbers to lampposts and other street furniture across Oxford city and neighbouring towns and villages by a small organised group of racists and fascists.
The local and national movement to raise flags across Britain has ties with, and funding from, far right groups. Its founder, Danny Tommo, is a close friend of fascist Tommy Robinson, and was recently expelled from France for a campaign of attacking refugees.
The local groups organising the flag raising have also been key figures in organising protests against refugees in Oxford under the Banner of Oxfordshire Patriots, whose leader is currently facing charges of racial harassment, and is subject to a curfew and ban for approaching a local refugee hostel. They are strong supporters of the fascist Tommy Robinson, and at lest one has a conviction for a violent offence.
We believe their campaign is about imposing a nationalist identity associated with racist campaigns onto local communities that instils fear in sections of our communities. This also includes targeting the homes of individuals who have spoken out in blatant attempts to intimidate. Their Facebook groups call for the targeting and shaming of people who question their campaign or express political views they do not agree with.
We are also seeing increasing racist acts, and aggressive and abusive behaviour online and in the streets from groups putting up flags to residents who oppose this indiscriminate type of flag raising.
The Equalities Act requires public authorities, including local councils, to have "due regard" to the need to:
- Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and other prohibited conduct.
- Advance equality of opportunity
between people with a protected characteristic and those without, which
involves removing disadvantages and meeting different needs.
- Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not, tackling prejudice and promoting understanding.
We believe that to meet this duty Oxfordshire County Council must act now to completely remove the many St George’s Flag and the Union Jacks
from their street furniture
and to follow the example of other councils and seek to recoup the costs from those placing them to deter their campaign.
There is sufficient evidence in the "Raise the Colours:Oxfordshire" and "Oxfordshire Flying Squad" Facebook groups, and from police contact with them, to identify the admins, organisers and activists of the campaigns.
We ask the Council take immediate action to remove all the flags and to place the costs of removal on the perpetrators organising these intimidatory and divisive displays.
