Council staff threatened as they remove flags from lampposts

Falkirk Council says it is “unacceptable” that council staff were abused and threatened while attempting to remove Scottish flags from lampposts at the weekend.

The council says it acted immediately “for safety reason” to remove flags that had been attached to street lighting – apparently as part of a national protest called ‘raise the colours’, which coincided with a local demonstration against housing asylum seekers in hotels.

The council says that attaching any sort of weight to lampposts, particularly in poor weather and when using a ladder to do so, is dangerous.

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 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.”

The group Save Our Future and Our Kids Futures, which organised Saturday’s anti-asylum protest and encouraged people to put flags up, announced on its Facebook page that it is “disgusted” with the council’s response and it has now started fundraising to buy more flags.

The post read: “The council claim this is about ‘safety’ and ‘structural risk’ yet year after year, we see Christmas lights, gala day bunting, flower baskets and all sorts of additions put up on lampposts with no issue.

“The only thing that seems to get immediately torn down is when our community proudly raises flags. That double standard speaks volumes.

“The council also stated that staff faced hostility when removing flags. Let us be clear we do not condone spitting or threatening behaviour towards any worker.

But let’s not lose sight of the fact that the community is angry because time and time again, the council chooses to silence us while turning a blind eye to other displays.

“So here’s our answer: we will not be silenced. We will be organising a mass raising of flags across Falkirk to show that our voices cannot be torn down.

“This time, we’ll be doing it properly using cherry pickers, not ladders, and with even more people involved.”

The local SNP group said it was “appalling” to see the Saltire being used in this way.

A spokesperson said: “Misusing Scotland’s national flag in this way – having it associated with protests that breed hatred – is appalling.

“What will the rest of the world think to see the Saltire abused in this way?

“It is synonymous with Scotland, particularly in sport, but also recognised internationally for our welcoming culture, which supports our tourism industry and much-needed economic growth.”