Why is the St George’s flag controversial – and is it legal to fly it?

England fan covers house in Lincolnshire
with 1,250 sq ft flag to cheer on World Cup squad

In Depth

The red and white cross remains divisive, and police are
discouraging England supporters from showing it off in Russia amid
fears of clashes between rival fans.

England supporters back home haven’t been shy about showing
their allegiances, however. Lincolnshire man John Jupp has
made headlines by covering the front of his house in a 1,250 sq ft
(116 sq m) flag.

Until fairly recently, it was illegal to fly a national flag
without permission from a local council.

So why is the St George’s Cross so controversial and what does
the law say now?

What is the law?

Changes made to regulations in 2012 widened the range of
flags you may fly in Britain, reports The Sun.

UK residents are now permitted to fly any national flag or any
international organisation’s flag, as well as many different
regional flags.

Before the changes, it was illegal to fly a national flag
without permission from a local council, unless flown from a
vertical flagpole.

A Peterborough family “fell foul of the regulations during the
last World Cup, when they were threatened with prosecution for
flying the cross of St George outside their home”, according
to DevonLive.

“A compromise was reached when the city council said the flags
could be flown but only on special occasions,” the regional news
site adds.

What are the rules about flying the St George’s Cross?

According to the Department for Communications and Local
Government, all flags must be kept in a safe condition; have
the permission of the owner of the site on which they are
displayed; not obscure, or hinder the interpretation of official
road, rail, waterway or aircraft signs; and be removed carefully if
asked by the planning authority.

Although there is not a specific offence related to flying the
St George’s Cross on your car, you could commit an offence if it is
obstructing your view or if there is risk that the flag could fall
off and damage you or the car.

Why is it so controversial to fly the St George’s Cross?

The Union Flag and the St George’s Cross “have been tainted by
association with the far-right”, says The Independent’s David Barnett. “Nobody seems
surprised any more to see some bull-headed idiot draped in the flag
and performing a Nazi salute,” he adds.

Mark Roberts, the deputy chief constable of South Yorkshire
Police, warned fans not to take flags to Russia for the 2018
tournament, saying: “It can come across as imperialistic and cause
antagonism.”

But Labour MP John Spellar lambasted that view, saying: “It may
be that there are problems with organised Russian groups targeting
foreign fans, and our police should be liaising with their Russian
counterparts to deal with that.

“To come out with a load of sociological gobbledygook makes one
wonder what on Earth the Top Brass in the police are thinking. I
bet this doesn’t reflect the view of the public.”

Bosses at pub chain J D Wetherspoons have “also told its
employees they must not display the St George’s Cross in any of
their 880 pubs”, reports The Sun.

Instead, the company have handed out “World Cup bunting” that
features every flag of each nation competing in the tournament.