Union flag debate

THIS week marks the Platinum Jubilee of the Queen, to celebrate 70 years since her coronation on June 2, 1953.

For the past month, UK streets have been decked out with Union flags. While most places don’t quite have Regent Street in London’s budget for flags – which stretch as far as the eye can see – everywhere’s got at least one. However, the fierce debate around those flags and allegations that their use is too nationalistic show the complex legacy of this British symbol. To many, it’s an innocent patriotic splash of colour, for others it symbolises Britain’s imperial darker history.

The conversation around the Union flag controversy has two angles – its visual and symbolic usage. With the former, critics say it has been used for years by the far-right in the UK to spread fear among those they consider “not British”. Most ethnic minority people are familiar with the unease that comes with seeing large numbers of Union flags during a national event. It’s often used to imply that non-white communities are “outsiders”. Perhaps the biggest example is the far-right organisation Britain First’s use of the Union flag in their logo, with the words ‘taking our country back’. This kind of symbolism is what makes ethnic minorities nervous around the flag.

Symbolically, it has been linked to the colonial era ever since its creation in 1808. Many of the atrocities were committed in the name of the flag, including India’s absorption into the British Empire in 1858. For some, it therefore symbolises things like genocide and forced land occupation. This, coupled with the lack of balanced education about the Empire, tarnishes its visual reputation.

The Union flag is an integral part of many national events, so conversations around its use and meaning need to happen. Just as with any part of Britain’s history and identity, the good and the bad need equal footing in debates on the subject. Many who express concern about it don’t necessarily want the Union flag to be banned, they just want its chequered past to be discussed.

So fly the Union flag if you want to, but just be mindful of why others might not want to do so.