Flag waving banned!!
Author
Discussion

zetec

Original Poster:

4,985 posts

273 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
First we were told that we couldn't fly the cross of St George to support our national football team. Now Muslims wanting to celebrate Eid are told they cannot fly thier national flags.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4167765.stm

Why is it that people from whatever background cannot be proud of thier flag. I have no problem with people wearing a football/cricket shirt representing another country. Surely this is the same as flag waving, supporting and showing pride.

mrmaggit

10,146 posts

270 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
Considering these same people complain about the Union Flag being racist...............

FourWheelDrift

91,754 posts

306 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
zetec said:
Now Muslims wanting to celebrate Eid are told they cannot fly thier national flags.


If they are British citizens then that would be the Union Flag of Great Britain, or do they not consider themselves British when it comes to religious events, but only when it suits them in matters of racial and social benefit.

shirley temple

2,232 posts

254 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
FourWheelDrift said:

If they are British citizens then that would be the Union Flag of Great Britain, or do they not consider themselves British when it comes to religious events, but only when it suits them in matters of racial and social benefit.


well said that man, when in rome, and all that.

bga

8,134 posts

273 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
FourWheelDrift said:

zetec said:
Now Muslims wanting to celebrate Eid are told they cannot fly thier national flags.



If they are British citizens then that would be the Union Flag of Great Britain, or do they not consider themselves British when it comes to religious events, but only when it suits them in matters of racial and social benefit.


Many expat Brits fly the Union Flag. We are often slow to complain about them

zetec

Original Poster:

4,985 posts

273 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
FourWheelDrift said:

zetec said:
Now Muslims wanting to celebrate Eid are told they cannot fly thier national flags.



If they are British citizens then that would be the Union Flag of Great Britain, or do they not consider themselves British when it comes to religious events, but only when it suits them in matters of racial and social benefit.


How about sporting events? Should we ban all foreign football/cricket shirts as they may incite racial hatred.

Harry Flashman

21,239 posts

264 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
bga said:

FourWheelDrift said:


zetec said:
Now Muslims wanting to celebrate Eid are told they cannot fly thier national flags.




If they are British citizens then that would be the Union Flag of Great Britain, or do they not consider themselves British when it comes to religious events, but only when it suits them in matters of racial and social benefit.



Many expat Brits fly the Union Flag. We are often slow to complain about them


I notice no-one has an answer for this one.

chim_knee

12,689 posts

279 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
Harry Flashman said:


bga said:
Many expat Brits fly the Union Flag. We are often slow to complain about them


I notice no-one has an answer for this one.


OK then, I'll try.

Are the "locals" of whichever country the ex-pats are living in banned from displaying/waving their national flag?

edited to sort formatting and stuff

>> Edited by chim_knee on Thursday 13th January 10:18

rich-uk

1,431 posts

278 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
Let them fly their flags. I don't have a problem with that.

The problem I have is not being able to fly the flag of the county I'm in.

FourWheelDrift

91,754 posts

306 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
bga said:

Many expat Brits fly the Union Flag. We are often slow to complain about them


But they only do it in other religiously tolerant countries, those who do it in countries which aren't are probably the types who need to check under their cars with a mirror every morning.

jimothy

5,151 posts

259 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
bga said:

Many expat Brits fly the Union Flag.


I remember when it was allowed to call it the Union Jack!

Mon Ami Mate

6,589 posts

290 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
zetec said:
First we were told that we couldn't fly the cross of St George to support our national football team. Now Muslims wanting to celebrate Eid are told they cannot fly thier national flags.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4167765.stm

Why is it that people from whatever background cannot be proud of thier flag. I have no problem with people wearing a football/cricket shirt representing another country. Surely this is the same as flag waving, supporting and showing pride.



The problem here is the ongoing tension between Muslims and Sikhs in Southall. Make no mistake, the factionalism going on here is extraordinary (I have a couple of Sikh friends there who have explained it all to me at length) and takes place on both religious and nationalistic (India V Pakistan) levels. This has nothing to do with white people or the Union flag at all.

Mon Ami Mate

6,589 posts

290 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
jimothy said:


bga said:

Many expat Brits fly the Union Flag.




I remember when it was allowed to call it the Union Jack!



The flag is only called the Union Jack when displayed on a Royal Navy vessel. In all other instances it is, and always has been, the Union flag.

>> Edited by Mon Ami Mate on Thursday 13th January 10:24

maxf

8,441 posts

263 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
jimothy said:

bga said:

Many expat Brits fly the Union Flag.



I remember when it was allowed to call it the Union Jack!


Thats when it is on the back of a HMS battleship IIRC (might be bollox though )

Harry Flashman

21,239 posts

264 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
chim_knee said:

Harry Flashman said:



bga said:
Many expat Brits fly the Union Flag. We are often slow to complain about them



I notice no-one has an answer for this one.



OK then, I'll try.

Are the "locals" of whichever country the ex-pats are living in banned from displaying/waving their national flag?



>> Edited by chim_knee on Thursday 13th January 10:18


Are we? My TVR has a great big Union Jack on the back and little ones on the wings, as did my MGB before it, and in fact every one of my cars, ever. My flat has an England flag in one of the windows whenever major sporting events are on involving my country's teams. Haven't been told off by a cop yet.

Harry Flashman

21,239 posts

264 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
Mon Ami Mate said:

zetec said:
First we were told that we couldn't fly the cross of St George to support our national football team. Now Muslims wanting to celebrate Eid are told they cannot fly thier national flags.

<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4167765.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/4167765.stm</a>

Why is it that people from whatever background cannot be proud of thier flag. I have no problem with people wearing a football/cricket shirt representing another country. Surely this is the same as flag waving, supporting and showing pride.




The problem here is the ongoing tension between Muslims and Sikhs in Southall. Make no mistake, the factionalism going on here is extraordinary (I have a couple of Sikh friends there who have explained it all to me at length) and takes place on both religious and nationalistic (India V Pakistan) levels. This has nothing to do with white people or the Union flag at all.


Interesting, and thanks for the clarification - otherwise this thread was heading spectacularly off-topic (I am to blame on this too!).

FourWheelDrift

91,754 posts

306 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
zetec said:

How about sporting events? Should we ban all foreign football/cricket shirts as they may incite racial hatred.



Not if there isn't a problem of waving our own at the same events, what we are talking about here is a religious festival or special occasion, for which in this country our own local busybody beaurocratic councils ban the flying of the Union Flag in some places.

But if this is a matter between inter-fighting religious factions then they will be doing everything to incite hatred amongst their enemies by flying different flags, in which case I don't feel they would have the right to fly the Union Flag. This just shows up what a pathetic notion of peace religion is.

>> Edited by FourWheelDrift on Thursday 13th January 10:36

jimothy

5,151 posts

259 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
Mon Ami Mate said:

jimothy said:



bga said:

Many expat Brits fly the Union Flag.





I remember when it was allowed to call it the Union Jack!




The flag is only called the Union Jack when displayed on a Royal Navy vessel. In all other instances it is, and always has been, the Union flag.

>> Edited by Mon Ami Mate on Thursday 13th January 10:24


Ahhh, I come from a Naval family you see....

bga

8,134 posts

273 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
FourWheelDrift said:

bga said:

Many expat Brits fly the Union Flag. We are often slow to complain about them



But they only do it in other religiously tolerant countries, those who do it in countries which aren't are probably the types who need to check under their cars with a mirror every morning.

I have seen the Union Flag flown in most of the Middle Eastern countries - not exactly tolerant.
However that's not what I was getting at.

My issue is that in the UK in general - and on PH too, many people quick to condemn people who are here and fly a flag ffrom their home country. That many, many expats do it (I have experience of this, having lived as an expat in a range of places) is ignored.
I was in Torrevieja (sp?) in Spain a few weeks ago and there were many retired brits flying their flags who were in Spain because of the superior (free) public health service (the hospital there is excellent) facilities and plenty of sunshine

Dibble

13,254 posts

262 months

Thursday 13th January 2005
quotequote all
Mon Ami Mate said:
jimothy said:
bga said:

Many expat Brits fly the Union Flag.
I remember when it was allowed to call it the Union Jack!
The flag is only called the Union Jack when displayed on a Royal Navy vessel. In all other instances it is, and always has been, the Union flag.
It's actually only a "Union Jack" when flown from the Jackstay (little flagpole) on the bow of a commissioned HM warship, when in port.



The flag flown from the rear of a warship is a White Ensign - a cross of St George, with the Union Flag in the upper left corner.