Anger has erupted after it emerged protesters ripped a Union Jack to shreds at a demonstration in Manchester.
Crowds filled the city’s Piccadilly Gardens last Saturday (February 22), with protesters from UKIP gathering to demand “mass deportations” and counter-protesters joining a demonstration called by the Manchester branch of anti-racism campaign group Stand Up to Racism (SUTR).
Protesters from both sides appear to have clashed with each and officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP), with footage posted on TikTok which appears to show a Union Jack torn to shreds.
Destruction of the national flag prompted a fierce debate, with the former Deputy Chair of UKIP, Suzanne Evans, telling GB News such action should be an offence.
She said: “I’m generally not the sort of person that’s in favour of banning things, but it is our national flag. I don’t think you should be allowed to burn it.”
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Protesters tear up a Union Jack at the protest in Manchester (Image: X)
Ms Evans added: “I’d go a little bit further. Actually, I don’t think we should be having any flags flown on public buildings apart from the Union Flag.”
She went on to condemn burning the Koran, describing it as “really stupid”, “crass” and “very offensive”.
Her comment comes after a copy of the Islamic holy book was set on fire at the Glade of Light memorial for the victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing in a livestream on social media on February 1.
Paul Richards, a special adviser to Labour, disagreed with Ms Evans’s call for destroying the national flag to be made illegal.
He argued that doing so would encourage “idiots” to want to burn the Union Jack more. Mr Richards also disagreed with a call by Ms Evans for only Union Jacks to be flown on public buildings, rather than Ukraine’s flag, among others.
The Union Jack was torn to pieces during the protest (Image: MEN)
Mr Richards said Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine poses the greatest threat to Britain’s security and flying the Ukrainian flag shows British solidarity with people in the war torn country.
Currently, it is not illegal to burn the Union Jack, unless the flag isn’t yours, in which case it would be considered an act of vandalism as it means someone’ else’s property has been destroyed.
Graham Bartram from the Flag Institute told The Sun previously that there are no laws against burning the national flag in Britain.
He added: “If you buy a union flag and burn it then legally speaking the main issue is more with health and safety.
“It’s like burning a towel and waving it around your head – you could hurt someone.”
