Council suspends flag removals after staff threatened

A council has suspended removals of flags from lampposts after staff were threatened while at work.

Aberdeenshire and Falkirk councils have said workers have faced abuse while attempting to detach Saltires from street lights.

Anti-immigration campaign groups have raised the flags as part of a UK-wide protest called “Raise the Colours”, coinciding with demonstrations against housing asylum seekers in hotels.

Removal of the flags in Aberdeenshire has been suspended and incidents of abuse have been reported to Police Scotland.

Saltires attached to street lamps in Glasgow. STV News

STV News understands that the local authority has requested the aid of officers to continue taking down the flags.

Glasgow City Council urged people to stop hanging the flags and said the “issue will be managed appropriately within the scope of our available resources”. Aberdeen City Council said flags would be removed “in due course”.

Councils say the flags pose a safety risk.

Save Our Futures and Our Kids Futures, an anti-immigration campaign group in Falkirk, said it was “disgusted” by the removal of the flags.

Flags were attached to lamposts across Falkirk town centre. LDRS

It has since started a fundraising effort to buy more flags.

The Tartan Team, a Glasgow based group that has been raising flags across the city, told STV News that the Saltires weren’t about immigration but were to highlight problems with the NHS and crime.

“We wouldn’t be the country we are without immigration,” a spokesperson said.

“Flags are doing no harm the council should be worried about other problems.”

The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) called the attacks on council workers “cowardly”.

“It’s as despicable as it is moronic that those who seek to raise the saltire under the false guise of protecting our community would then seek to attack those public servants who serve our community,” general secretary Roz Foyer said.

“The Saltire represents tolerance, acceptance, respect and inclusion. These principles are sacrosanct and those who seem intent on attacking our council staff would do well to remember it before they defile our nation’s flag.”

Hundreds of people gathered to protest and counter-protest in Aberdeen and Falkirk.

More than 200 assembled outside the Cladhan Hotel on Saturday, where asylum seekers are being housed by the Home Office while awaiting their claims to be processed.

Posts advertising the protest said the action wasn’t “against all immigration” but does oppose illegal immigrants and the use of hotels to house asylum seekers.

The anti-immigration group was met by about 200 counter-protesters from trade unions and the campaign group Stand Up To Racism.

What are councils saying?

A Falkirk Council spokesperson said: “Over the weekend, Falkirk Council acted immediately to remove flags that had been attached with no authorisation from its street lights.

“This was for clear safety reasons in line with national guidance regarding unauthorised attachments to street lights.

“In some instances, council employees suffered intimidating behaviour from people, which prevented them from completing this task.

“This is unacceptable and the council will liaise with Police Scotland to take action against those responsible.

“The Council takes public safety extremely seriously. Unauthorised attachments to lighting columns present a clear and avoidable risk and will continue to be removed moving forward.”

A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council told STV News: “Attaching flags on lampposts without authorisation creates a risk to personal and public safety and we urge people to cease this activity.

“This issue will be managed appropriately within the scope of our available resources.”

An Aberdeenshire Council spokesperson said: “It is an offence under the Road (Scotland) Act 1984 to hang anything from street lights or to damage the road in any way.

“Hanging items from street lighting columns presents a risk to road and pavement users, as well as the people placing these items on the streetlights.

“The community can apply for permission to add installations or decorations to street lighting columns.

“However, consent must be obtained and all works must comply with council policy. The hanging of flags would not meet the criteria contained within our policy.

“Any unauthorised installations will be removed and the council can seek to recover costs from the responsible persons.”

An Aberdeen City Council spokesperson said: “We are aware that flags were installed on lighting columns without the relevant local permissions and, as such, will need to be removed in due course.”