A protest outside the Highfield Hotel in Southampton drew attention this week after demonstrators raised the St George’s flag above the building, a move that has ignited a wider conversation about national identity and free expression in modern Britain.
The incident, which took place in response to the hotel’s use as accommodation for migrants, was discussed by commentator Josh Ferme on the Lotus Eaters podcast. Ferme described the events as “an optical loss for the police,” after officers were called to remove the flag from the premises. “Here’s a protest in Southampton against a migrant hotel and they raised the English flag over the hotel and it got to the point where the police had to lower it, which is complete optical loss for the police, to be honest,” Ferme said. He went on to question the rationale behind the police action: “They are removing the flag saying it’s dangerous. But beforehand, let’s actually hammer home why this is important, because it’s got to the point now where raising our own flag is sort of portrayed as a revolutionary act.” Ferme contrasted current attitudes with past norms, noting, “Were you to go back 20 years ago, this would be absurd, wouldn’t it? It’d be unheard of. But now this seems to be the case.”
The act of raising the St George’s flag—a long-standing symbol of England—over the hotel has become a flashpoint for broader debates about free speech, patriotism, and the right to protest. Ferme defended the protesters’ actions, saying, “The optics of it are great. It’s just like, well, we stand for our country. We stand for England, we stand for Britain.”
The podcasters referenced Paul Embery, a well-known trade unionist and Labour Party member since 1994, whose views on the matter have resonated with many. “This is Paul Embery, who by the way, has been a member of the Labour Party since 1994. I think it’s sort of said on his website and he says something which I agree with entirely,” Ferme noted. Quoting Embery, Ferme continued: “I’ll say again, I’ve never particularly been a flag waver, but it’s pretty obvious why the operation ‘Raise the Colours’ campaign has broken out and is spreading. Ordinary Britons are angered by the broken immigration and asylum system, but they have also had enough of asymmetrical multiculturalism, the phenomenon driven by the liberal elites, which dictates that minorities must always be enthusiastically celebrated while the majority culture must be downplayed. It is never said explicitly, of course, but this has been the effect of public policy over the past couple of decades or so, and now it has resulted in major push back by those who belong to the major nationality and culture. Their patience has snapped.”
Police have not issued a formal statement on the incident, but the removal of the flag has prompted a wave of reactions on social media, with many seeing it as astonishing the English flag is so divisive in England.
The demonstrations at Highfield hotel are planned to continue this weekend.
