'Grow up!' UK council sparks outrage on GB News over bid to block Union flag displays

A Lib Dem-run council has sparked outrage on GB News after launching a High Court bid to ban Union Jack flag displays.

Discussing the ban on Breakfast, GB News contributor Will Kingston hit out at the bid, telling offended locals to "grow up".

Oxfordshire County Council has applied for an injunction to block the Raise the Colours group from hanging the flag in a bid to "protect" its residents and "values".

A spokesman for the council has claimed that the "ongoing scale and persistence of the behaviour by Raise the Colours" has created "safety risks, caused distress within communities, and led to abuse and intimidation directed at council teams and residents".

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Reacting to the move by the council, Will Kingston told GB News highlighted the irony of the "party which was initially for liberalism and freedoms is now trying to ban flags".

He said: "I'm sure Ed Davey will be supporting this. He'll be on a pogo stick somewhere, jumping up and down, trying to juggle.

"It is fascinating now that this seems to be a trend amongst the Liberal Democrats, that they're now not so liberal."

Taking issue with the council's concerns for the community and potential migrants in the area, Mr Kingston stressed how he himself is an immigrant and he is "not triggered by the flag".

He told GB News: "I think this is incredibly disappointing, but unfortunately not surprising. A local council in Brighton, a Green local council is also trying to ban flags in the area because it will be concerning for migrants.

"Now I'm a migrant, and I don't get triggered when I see the English flag. I'm sorry, if you're an adult and you're getting triggered or feeling unsettled by a flag, you do need to grow up a tad."

Weighing in on the discussion, broadcaster Tim Vincent highlighted how the bid to ban the patriotic flags is "bad timing" now that the World Cup has begun.

He said: "It's very bad timing, though, isn't it? England are doing well with scoring goals, everybody's got their flags, there's probably newspapers giving them out for free.

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"And then we're saying, actually don't put your flags out - it's very, very bad timing."

Mr Vincent stressed that the symbol of our country should "not be seen as something inflammatory".

He argued: "Our national flag shouldn't be necessarily seen as some kind of inflammatory position to put it out.

"All the money that's spent by the local councils challenging this, money that could be spent elsewhere on potholes, which they have up and down the country. Why don't we paint our English flags onto the pothole?

"And then they will remove that pothole almost immediately by filling it in, and we can still be patriotic."

In a statement, Council leader Tim Bearder said: "This application is about protecting our residents, our workforce and the values we stand for as a county.

"We are proud of Oxfordshire's diverse communities and of our Council of Sanctuary status. We proudly fly the Union Flag and St George's flag at County Hall and we fully support the right of residents to display flags on their own private property.

"However, there's an important distinction between lawful expression and activity that puts people at risk or intimidates residents in their own communities.

"This activity is not about national pride or unity. It is unlawful behaviour, which has caused fear and division within our communities.

"We have a clear responsibility to keep people safe and ensure our public spaces are welcoming and inclusive for everyone."

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