An online-coordinated protest dubbed “Operation Raise the Colours” has led to overnight displays of the St George’s Cross on lampposts and roundabouts from Tower Hamlets in east London to Birmingham and Worcestershire. Supporters say the action reclaims English identity, while critics warn it risks heightening social tensions. Local groups such as the Wythall Flaggers have raised more than £3,500 to blanket their village with the red-and-white banner. The campaign has been endorsed by far-right activist Tommy Robinson and the group Britain First, according to the Independent, deepening concerns that the symbol is being politicised. Several councils, including Tower Hamlets and Birmingham, have begun removing flags attached to public infrastructure without permission, citing safety regulations. Reform UK—which now controls 10 local authorities—has taken the opposite stance, pledging to keep St George’s and Union flags on display and to restrict municipalities from flying alternative emblems. Public opinion on the flag remains sharply divided. A 2024 YouGov poll found 27 percent of Britons hold an unfavourable view of people flying the England flag outside their homes, a figure that rises to 44 percent among those who voted Labour in 2019. Academics say the emblem’s meaning has shifted in recent decades from a football motif to a racialised political statement, a debate that former immigration minister Robert Jenrick argues underscores a broader struggle over national identity.