Salford's streets of union jacks split opinion

Union jacks have been put up on the streets outside Salford Shopping City

Almost overnight, some of Salford's busiest roads became the latest scene in a striking national campaign.

Union jack flags, secured in place by cable ties at a significant height, are fluttering from dozens of lampposts in the Broughton Road area and extend all the way into Salford Shopping City.

The trend is known online as Operation Raise the Colours, described by those involved as a grassroots effort to promote national pride and patriotism - and first appeared on the streets of Birmingham.

However, there have also been concerns about a more divisive motive and claims of links to extremist far-right organisations.

There is also the question of what will happen to the flags in the future, and whether local authorities can or should leave them in place.

In Salford, the city council described both the union jack and St George's Cross flags as "legitimate symbols of our shared national heritage".

A spokesperson said the council "fully supported" residents who "choose to express their national and civic pride in a responsible and appropriate manner".

It said the recently installed flags would not be removed unless they pose a safety risk or amount to an offence like criminal damage.

But some local people see the flags as an attempt to promote far-right politics.

Mohammed Musazai said he believed the flags were "normal"

Shopkeeper Mohammed Musazai, 25, said they may have been put up overnight around the time of the August bank holiday weekend.

"During the day when I'm here or when I'm outside, I didn't see anyone put them on so they might have done it during the night," he said.

Mr Musazai, who has worked at the Boozemart store on Broughton Road for about six years, said he was unsure why the flags had been put up, but added that he was aware of media clips on TikTok.

"I guess some people don't like flags around the UK, they feel offended," he said.

"I don't know why they feel that way, but me personally, I don't feel that way, it's just normal."

It is unclear who attached the flags to lampposts in Salford

Geraldine, 65, who lives close to Broughton Road and has two large flag poles with a union jack and St George's flag in her front yard, said she had deep concerns about migration and wanted to show that this was "still Great Britain".

"You go over to places, you go away and in Wales and places like that, you see flags flying but never down here," she said.

"I thought 'my God, what's it coming to now?' It's nice, don't get me wrong, you know America do it, don't they?

"They have them outside the houses and everything and that, so why shouldn't we do it?"

Ben O'Brien said it was "ridiculous" that the flags were considered controversial

Near neighbour Ben O'Brien, 37, said he recently returned from a family holiday to Mallorca and thought the flags were a "nice welcome home".

He said he did not understand the controversy in some quarters.

"You see it in the news about oh, 'you can't have your flags up because it's racist' or 'oh I'm being told to take me flag down'.

"I feel it's just ridiculous that anyone thinks it's a point of controversy.

"It's a flag, who cares?"

James Smith, 70, said he believed the flags had been "hijacked" by far-right groups

James Smith, 70, said the flags reminded him of the National Front, a far-right party which was particularly active in the mid-1970s.

Mr Smith, from the Higher Broughton area, said: "I actually don't like it.

"I know I'm British, I'm born here, but these union jacks have been hijacked.

"The far-right have hijacked it as their emblem, as their emblem to foment trouble amongst the people."

Anti far-right extremism charity Hope Not Hate has stressed it is not against British or English flags being displayed, but has claimed that some involved in the Operation Raise the Colours campaign have links to the far right.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: "Despite what people claim on social media, it's not illegal to be proud to be English or British."

They added that it was also "true that not everyone who has raised a flag is far right", but there were questions about the motivations behind Operation Raise the Colours.