Refugee says national flags do not intimidate him

"No-one should feel intimidated by Britain putting their flags out,”said refugee Andrew Kueth, who was granted asylum in the UK and is now living in Shrewsbury.

Scores of union jack and St George's flags have sprung up on English streets, but some say they feel provocative at a time when tensions are running high over immigration.

Mr Kueth, 20, who fled the civil war in the Republic of South Sudan as a nine year old, argued the Americans flew their flags with pride and so should every nation.

Recently, the Green Party group leader on Shropshire Council, councillor Julian Dean, said the campaign was intimidating and the flags should be taken down.

This summer thousands of St George's flags have been seen painted on roundabouts and hung from lamp-posts across the country, having started in mid-July in Birmingham.

Shropshire Council has said it would not go out of its way to "police people" putting up national flags on lamp-posts and local authority property unless there were safety issues.

Supporters say the flags are an expression of English pride and deny they are stoking division.

But some have expressed discomfort due to tensions running high across England over immigration.

Mr Kueth ended up in Shrewsbury four years ago after leaving his home country and spending eight years travelling through Africa and Europe.

On the way he survived beatings in jail and two sinkings in the Mediterranean, before he crossed the English Channel in a small boat in 2021. He now has the right to remain in the UK.

He said Shrewsbury was now his home and people in the town had made him feel very welcome.

"It depends on the person, and how they view [the flags]," he said.

"I feel every nation should do what they want to do, as long as they don't bother anyone... they are just proud of their background, proud of their flags."