As a Nigerian living in England, the St George’s flag campaign makes me feel unwelcome

If you live in England, there’s a high chance that you’ve seen more St George’s flags around than normal this past weekend. People have been vandalising crosswalks and roundabouts, and even painting flags on buildings, claiming they’re just being patriotic.

Waving an English flag to show national pride is not inherently wrong. The roots of Operation Raise the Colours show its underlying message is full of hate and bigotry. Hope not Hate recently revealed the organiser behind this campaign is Andrew Currien, also known as Andy Saxon. He’s a well-known Tommy Robinson supporter and acts as security for far-right political group Britain First. He even spent time in jail for his alleged involvement in a hate crime that led to the death of a local driver, Stainton Barrett.

It started off with pockets of flags scattered across England, and now it has reached global headlines. Elon Musk even shared his support for the movement through a tweet of the flag. I’d like to remind you that he’s not English, or even American, and is an immigrant himself.

pic.twitter.com/JtQZlWvY0z

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 26, 2025

I grew up in Ireland and my family is Nigerian, but I’ve lived in England for almost a decade. I’ve always hesitated to call myself both Irish or English, as I know the follow-up question will be, “No, where are you really from?”. Even as a legal immigrant who has spent almost half my life here, I feel like I can’t claim the flag.

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At the same time as flags are popping up everywhere, anti-immigration protests are being held across the country. It’s a strange time to be a person of colour in the United Kingdom. Scrolling through TikTok this weekend was a conflicting mix of Notting Hill Carnival videos, where people celebrated Caribbean culture no matter their ethnicity, and England flag graffiti.

There are plenty of pressing issues in England that need more attention. These self-proclaimed patriots could be attracting national attention to record high levels of child poverty, a criminally underfunded NHS or even women’s safety, which the far-right claim is the reason behind their racism.

But this isn’t about political progression. This is about making anyone who doesn’t match the phenotypes of what we see as English – white – feel unwelcome.

The tweet vs. the replies

My father was English.
I was born in England.
I study, work, and live in England.

I might not be the right colour for the racists in my comments, but I am proud to be English.

And I will continue to fly 𝙤𝙪𝙧 flag.
Today, tomorrow, always. pic.twitter.com/aJ4o1RVnW7

— Samantha Smith (@SamanthaTaghoy) August 19, 2025

One of the saddest details about this use of the England flags is that it ruins true patriotism. When I’m watching a Euros or World Cup game at the pub and I’m surrounded by red and white flags, I don’t feel threatened. Those moments of community make me proud to live in England, surrounded by strangers who feel like family for those 90 minutes. Part of what has made England such a wonderful country is its diversity, and no amount of thinly-veiled hate will stop that.

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Featured image by: Oreoluwa Adeyoola/Jay_Y on TikTok