People who raise flags on lampposts or other street infrastructure in Oxfordshire face imprisonment following a ruling from the High Court.
Last year, the grassroots Operation Raise The Colours campaign swept the United Kingdom, as citizens used the peaceful flag-raising civil disobedience movement to express their opposition to the government commandeering hotels to house mostly young male migrants in their midst.
The outpouring of patriotic fervour riled the feathers of many local councils, including Oxfordshire County Council, which has been awarded a High Court injunction barring anyone from attaching England or UK flags to lampposts or public infrastructure, or from painting their image on roads in the county.
Those found to have breached the order face the seizure of their assets, potentially unlimited fines, and imprisonment, the Oxford Mail reported.
Commenting on his ruling, Mr Justice Dexter Dias said that council workers have faced intimidation while attempting to take the flags down, and said: “The affixing of flags and the painting of insignia on the highway has continued consistently and persistently since August 2025. There is little prospect absent an injunction that it will stop.”
While some have claimed that the council was merely acting out of concern for citizen safety and that it would have sought an injunction against any flag being flown, Liberal Democrat Council leader Tim Bearder said last month that the application for an injunction was motivated by a desire to stop “fear and division within our communities.”
However, opponents were quick to slam the decision by the High Court, including Reform UK Shadow Education Secretary Suella Braverman, who wrote on X: “Joke country. Flying the national flags in Oxfordshire now amounts to breaking the law. Only Reform will bring this nonsense to an end.”
British comedian John Cleese quipped, “Is it OK to put up flags showing that we support countries other than England? Or would that intimidate the English legal system? And to think that I once trained as a lawyer… Lucky escape.”
Council leader Tim Bearder hailed the ruling, saying: “This is a welcome judgement. We’re very pleased with the result.”
“This sets a legal precedent and will hopefully deter people in not just Oxfordshire but around the country from partaking in this criminal activity,” he said.
The council claimed that it has spent around £80,000 removing flags from lampposts and other street infrastructure in Oxfordshire and that it incurred around £40,000 in legal costs, which it plans to seek to recover.