Council criticised over ‘cheap’ Welsh flags put up by far-right group in Wrexham

Emily Price 

A council has been sharply criticised for failing to remove Welsh flags displayed on lampposts by a far-right group in Wrexham, which Plaid Cymru politicians described as “territorial markers”.

In a statement issued on Thursday (August 13), Fflint Wrecsam MSs Carrie Harper and Marc Jones said Wrexham was being targeted by an anti-immigration group they described as “run by a minuscule team that thrives off any publicity given to them”.

The pair accused the group, understood by Nation.Cymru to be right-wing protest organisers Wrexham Unite, of hanging the flags while deliberately posting “vile and discriminatory content” online to attract wider public attention.

The group is planning a “Raise the Colours” protest in Wrexham later this month, with far-right organisations from several English towns expected to travel to the Welsh city in support.

Ms Harper and Mr Jones said the organisation had been “hanging cheap flags around Wrecsam” to promote its cause, while claiming to be inclusive.

In recent days Wrexham Unite has published posts to its Facebook page of the city’s lampposts adorned with Welsh flags.

It has also shared an image of a man holding a placard which reads: “Islam turning every single country it touches into a shit hole over 1400 years.”

In July, after a member of the public was filmed trying to remove one of the flags from a lamppost, the group offered a £50 reward to anyone that could identify the person in the footage.

Plaid’s Wrexham MSs accused Wrexham Council of failing to act over the flags which they said have been put up unlawfully.

Ms Harper and Mr Jones said: “We are clear: the council knows these flags have been placed in contravention of the law and the failure to deal with them shows a weakness in political leadership at the council or an unwillingness to deal with it.

“Our flag represents the culture, heritage, history and pride of everyone in Cymru. However, in this
context, our flag is being used as a territorial marker of the far-right.

“This has contributed to the spread of both misinformation and far-right rhetorics of hate and marginalisation, contributing to an atmosphere of intimidation within the community.”

The two Plaid Cymru MSs warned that “small numbers of divisive groups” from across the UK had joined anti-immigration protests in Wrexham “to swell the small numbers of local activists”.

However, the pair said that while the protests had “achieved little”, they had been “expensive to police”.

Lampposts

Ms Harper and Mr Jones said: “Open and honest discussion is important, however vilifying those who may be fleeing war or violence in their own country will achieve nothing.

“It would be fantastic to see more Draig Goch flags flown in Wrecsam, anyone who has seen them
proudly flying in Cardiff City Centre will know how fantastic they can look.

“But it needs to be done properly and in an inclusive way that represents everyone.

“They should be on flag poles, not lampposts and be properly maintained for all to enjoy.”

Earlier this year, Welsh folk singer Dafydd Iwan said he had been trolled by Wrexham Unite after he urged the group to stop using his patriotic anthem, Yma o Hyd.

The 40-year-old song celebrating Wales’ survival was used by Wrexham Unite in a social media video promoting one of its anti-immigration protests.

Iwan said he hadn’t even permission for his song to be used adding the he did not support the group’s “hate-driven campaign”.

Wrexham County Borough Council is currently led by an Independent and Conservative coalition.

Nation.Cymru invited the administration to comment on Plaid Cymru’s claims that it was acting unlawfully by not removing flags put up around the city by anti-immigration activists.

‘Shocked’

Wrexham Council leader Mark Pritchard acknowledged that a significant number of Welsh flags had been displayed around Wrexham, but stressed that the flag “belongs to everyone”.

He said: “I am shocked and surprised that Carrie Harper and Marc Jones responded in this way now that they are MSs.

“There are processes to follow and I would have expected them to come in and speak to me about this issue before they put press release out.

“I’ve been in politics for a substantial amount of time, I’ve met lots of MSs and MPs, and I would have expected them to have done that, but unfortunately they haven’t. They are shooting from the hip in my opinion.

“First of all, they said ‘political leadership’. Can I make it clear to them that we as politicians have no involvement in the running of services.

“If they have an issue with the flags, they need to take it up directly with the Chief Executive or the Chief Officer of the environments department.

“This is operational, and I would have expected them to have known that.

“But obviously they are trying to target myself and the political leadership of Wrexham Council which is unacceptable and wrong.

“They have personalised it, and I would ask them to go through the appropriate channels and to do things properly as new MSs.”

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