For a little while now around the UK there has been a rising tide of “National Pride” and “Patriotism” that involves hanging flags up on lampposts and lighting fixtures. It is a very polarising subject and some think that it is a celebration of our Englishness, many others believe that it is an intimidation technique designed to upset people who have moved to the UK.
Polemic Pictures
One thing is for sure, these polarised parties are passionate about putting flags up, taking them down, setting up a Facebook group, setting up an opposing Facebook group, raising money to buy flags and raising money to help take them down again. I don’t pretend to understand all of the intricacies of the subject but can see that groups such as Raise The Colours and Raise the Flags are asking for donations to assist them in the installation of flags on public infrastructure. The local opposition groups spend time and money removing the flags and the councils of the areas are in legal battles with the flag raisers to get them to cease. The argument being that hanging flags on public infrastructure is dangerous, unsafe and not what the structures are designed for.
There is a certain amount of ill feeling that often spills into verbal or physical demonstrations by both sides of the debate. Whilst there is evidence that there are some people with checkered pasts involved in the flag raising team, the same might be said for some of the flag removers. It all adds up to be a bit of a childish playground shouting match, sometimes leading to violence.
The “right” who are pro flag raising often align and mix with the other far-right groups such Britain First and Patriot Platform, which argue that they are not racist, but concerned about immigration into Britain and the effects it might have on English society. They are very vocal and organise marches regularly which are an example of exercising the right to freedom of speech. This is an important fundamental part of being a British citizen and one that is valued by everyone who lives here. As a photographer I very much value the rights of people like me to wander around and take photos and will often stand up for my rights when being verbally attacked. I would also stand up for the rights of anyone to have free speech, but it does come with the caveat that other people have the right to speak an opposing view of your own. As a result of the “right” marches, they are often opposed by “left” marches or demonstrations which aim to highlight their point that a community is made up of different cultures and immigration is a good thing. They point out the flaws in the arguments of the “right” and seek to educate people as to the benefits of controlled immigration and how it is a human thing to help people.
These marches and demonstrations occur around the country and also in other countries, and I have been seeking them out to wander through and make photographs to document the events. I proffer no “side” or opinions when I am walking amongst the left and right groups, merely taking photographs and capturing the day for posterity. I have my opinions, sure, but I try and remain neutral to ensure that I’m objective in my portrayal of the events. As we’ve read in the past though as part of my studies, the photographer often holds unconscious biases that appear in the photographs made. I will look back at my photographs in a few years time and see if I feel a neutral effect from the day or whether I have favoured one side more than the other.
In a previous post, https://bobgriffithsphoto.uk/?p=10734 I explored Birmingham during a march by Britain First. It was an interesting day and good to see the two opposing groups have their say with the minimum of violence and few arrests.
Raise vs Lower
Shrewsbury, my home town, have a group called Raise The Flags Shrewsbury Plus who have also been busy affixing St George’s Cross, and Union flags on lampposts and bridges across the town. They have an opposition group called Lower The Flags Shrewsbury who have a mission to remove the flags and also to brief the public about the bad points of the “Raise” team. The Raise team have organised protest marches and activities around the town over the last few months and always seem to meet the opposition airing their opinions about the situation. They seem to meet in the Quarry Park mostly and then the Raise team usually go on a march through a part of the town, carrying flags, wearing patriotic t-shirts, singing songs seemingly focussed on slating the Lower/Left team. “You can never trust a leftie with your kids”, “Keir Starmer’s a wanker”, “if you’re born with a willy you’re a man” are some of the songs.
The opposition for their part stand in the park, opposite the Raise team, holding banners, placards and playing music. They also shout slogans that appear to want the “Fascist Scum Off Our Streets” and others that pertain to “this is what community looks like”. They do not march around the town, but stay in place and but for a minority of “shouters” they are very respectful. The Lower team are comprised of all manner of people, men, women, members of LGBTQ+, some children, people of colour and different religions. The Raise team are majority white males with a few women and children, there are people of all ages in both sides.
I use the opportunity to make photographs that might be interesting in the future, and I’m not oblivious to the photography documenting similar struggles in Europe during the first half of the 1930’s. For me I am capturing photographs of the people, the signs, the local environment, the apparent confusion of people not involved and even the methods of control that the police utilise to keep the peace.
I don’t send my photos of this topic off to local newspapers or even post on local Facebook groups as I don’t want to fuel any fires that this difficult period of time might ignite. I am sharing a few photographs here as an example of my work, but I am aware that both sides of the debate use photographs as ammunition and a method of intimidation to try and gain control over the other. There are occasions of “doxxing” where a protestor has their name, address and personal details shared that leads to danger and even loss of jobs etc. That is not why I am shooting though. There are many people I witness who attend these types of events that are fully equipped with many action cameras, and microphones that livestream the events in front of them to the masses who might be caught in an echo chamber. There are also some citizen journalists who provoke trouble to capture it on film/disk which then becomes a profitable way of earning a living. These people are known online as “auditors” as they are often testing the law surrounding photography and many host well followed YouTube channels. They are entitled to do this, it is their right to be able to do this and I would step in if someone was trying to restrict their rights to video like this. It doesn’t mean that I always agree with what they’re doing though.
It’s a complicated thought experiment being stuck in the middle. Trying to remain neutral but having an underlying opinion about what is happening. Trying to not allow the opinions to influence the photographs and the projections of the events is increasingly difficult too.
Reflection
I’ve visited three of the protests/marches in Shrewsbury now and have decided that I will not visit anymore. I do not need the negativity in my life and am often upset by the way children and other vulnerable groups are treated in this “discussion”. I don’t usually share the images anyway so why do I go and photograph at these events? It all feels like the playground chantings of two opposing sides, and whilst I agree that there is precedent for what is happening, I don’t feel that I need to be there, putting myself at risk to capture photographs of people who are on the most extreme edges of the left and right wings of society.
I’ve also visited in the past the protest that the left wing organised in which many hundreds of people were arrested for holding placards supporting Palestine Action. This also made me feel upset, and whilst I don’t pretend to know the full facts I find myself at odds with the messages that come from both sides. Palestine Action are a proscribed organisation so supporting them is a crime, even if one doesn’t agree with the proscription of them, I’d prefer to see people behaving within the law. Again, it also opens up questions about how the law is made, who it is protecting and why certain groups are policed in this manner but I try and operate within the boundaries of the law.
Please view these photographs from the same perspective that I had when I made them, a neutral one.
My wish would be that people of all opinions would spend less time shouting across a field at each other and more time sat down at a table discussing the facts and figures and feelings that drive the behaviours. It can only be settled by diplomatic means and whilst there is a reluctance to actively listen I fear it will continue.
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