Birmingham Council Seeks Injunction Against Raise the Colours

Birmingham City Council is seeking an emergency High Court injunction against members of Raise the Colours, an anti-migrant group that has been putting up thousands of Union Jack and St George’s flags on lampposts, bridges and other public infrastructure across the city.

The campaign has been active in Birmingham since summer 2025, with flags appearing across a number of neighbourhoods as part of the group's “Stop the Boats” campaign. By May 2026, Birmingham City Council had publicly warned that attaching flags or other items to street furniture without permission was unlawful and said it would consider legal action where attachments caused obstruction or safety concerns.

The council subsequently began High Court proceedings seeking an injunction to prevent unauthorised flags and other attachments being placed on public infrastructure. The case was first heard in Birmingham on 8 September 2026. It returned to the High Court on 30 September, when the council presented further evidence about the group's activities.

At the latest hearing, the council's barrister, Jonathan Manning, referred to a number of reported incidents connected to the campaign. These included alleged confrontations with residents and councillors, the use of cherry pickers in ways the council says created safety concerns, obstruction of pavements, and allegations of verbal and physical abuse.

The council also told the court that some residents and councillors had reported feeling less safe and that individuals opposing the group's activities had experienced abuse and threats online. These accounts form part of the evidence presented by the council and remain allegations within ongoing legal proceedings.

Raise the Colours founder Ryan Bridge has said he intends to fight the injunction, arguing that it conflicts with rights protected under the European Convention on Human Rights. The council, meanwhile, has stressed that its proposed restrictions would apply to all flags placed on public infrastructure without permission, rather than targeting a particular political viewpoint. This would include Palestinian and Pride flags if they were attached to street furniture without the council's consent.

The legal proceedings take place against a wider backdrop of heightened tensions around migration, race and national identity. For some supporters, the flags represent British or English identity and patriotism. Critics, meanwhile, have raised concerns about the relationship between the flag campaign and anti-migrant politics, and about the potential impact on communities who may feel targeted or excluded by that messaging.

For Birmingham Race Impact Group (BRIG), this wider context matters. Birmingham is one of the UK's most diverse cities, and community cohesion depends on people being able to feel safe, respected and able to belong in their own neighbourhoods.

In 2026, BRIG and Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) brought community and public-sector leaders together through a Community Cohesion Summit to examine concerns around racism, hate incidents, declining feelings of safety and trust in existing approaches. The discussions highlighted the importance of stronger relationships between communities and institutions, alongside sustained action to address the factors contributing to division.

The Raise the Colours case therefore raises questions that extend beyond flags on lampposts. It touches on how public space is used, the boundaries of political expression, public safety and how communities respond when political disagreements become increasingly confrontational.

For BRIG, tackling racism and division requires more than responding to individual incidents. It requires sustained investment in community relationships, meaningful dialogue and collective action to ensure that people from Birmingham's diverse racial, cultural, faith and migrant communities can participate in public life without intimidation or exclusion.

The High Court proceedings are ongoing, with the case adjourned until 2 November 2026, when the court is expected to hear from Ryan Bridge's legal representatives. As the legal process continues, the wider challenge for Birmingham remains how to protect lawful expression while maintaining safety, dignity and cohesion across a diverse city.

To read more on the court case and its developments, click here.