British artists reclaim St George's flag with a message of inclusivity

"Artists in Britain have customised St George's flags with messages celebrating diversity, in response to a campaign in which national banners have been flown from lamp-posts, outside homes and painted on roundabouts. While for many, flying the flag is a genuine expression of national pride, some flags have been graffitied on businesses and places of worship belonging to minority ethnic Britons, in some cases with slurs, after the launch of the operation raise the colours."

"The project originates in Greater Manchester, where hard-right groups have joined protests outside asylum hotels, posting locations where they have deployed British flags on social media. Cloe Gregson, an arts events manager, decided to reclaim the symbol by staging an open day for artists and the public to redesign St George's flags as emblems of inclusivity. The Everyone Welcome project took off on the websites Skiddle and GoFundMe, with more than 100 people and dozens of venues volunteering to be part of the project."

"Gregson said: We've had a pretty long history standing up for what's right [in Manchester], led by the movement for women's rights and the biggest section 28 protests. But I felt like I was driving around and I didn't recognise it as the Manchester I've grown up in it felt really jarring. The project accelerated after Gregson turned to her all-women WhatsApp group of events promoters and creatives in the city, who shared it across their networks."

Artists and community organisers in Britain are customising St George's flags to celebrate diversity and oppose an operation that has used the flag to target minority communities. The initiative began in Greater Manchester after hard-right groups posted locations where British flags were displayed near asylum hotels and elsewhere. Arts events manager Cloe Gregson organised an open day for artists and the public to redesign the flag as an inclusive emblem, launching the Everyone Welcome project on Skiddle and GoFundMe. More than 100 people and dozens of venues volunteered, and organisers hope the idea spreads to other cities such as York.

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