An official report warned immigration detention officers in England that displaying the English flag intimidates detained migrants.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Immigration officers in the United Kingdom have been told that wearing England flag badges is “intimidating” to migrants detained for deportation. 📺 DETAIL: Last year, during the summer, officers working at an immigration detention facility in the United Kingdom were told that wearing England flag badges on their uniforms “risked perceptions of bias or even intimidation among detained people, especially in the light of recent anti-immigration protests in which flag displays were prominent.” The officers were wearing the badges to show support for the England women’s soccer team following their victory at the European Championship. Under British law, migrants with no legal standing to remain in the country must be held for the short-term in government-approved facilities before they are sent back to their country of origin or released. Among others, the display of the national flag was listed as a potential cause for “emotional distress.” The report was published on Wednesday by the Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB), public oversight bodies inside prisons, removal facilities, and similar facilities. The IMB’s annual report is based on 127 annual reports from relevant facilities. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “At a minimum, the Board concluded that this raised concerns about professional standards and workplace culture at the facility,” read the report from the IMB. 🎯 IMPACT: This story underscores the extent to which England’s national flag has come to be regarded as a divisive political symbol by the country’s own authorities. In early April, Oxfordshire County Council in England threatened the ‘Raise the Colours’ campaign, which has been raising English and British flags on lampposts and other public infrastructure across the country, with legal action. The leader of the council said: “The widespread installation of flags by Raise the Colours is not a sign of patriotism. It is an act of intimidation and division.” The month prior, a leaked government report described the British, English, and Scottish flags as “tools of hate.” |
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