Councillor Says Union Jack Flags In East Cowes Have ‘Caused Division’

Union Jack flags raised along East Cowes’s York Avenue this week have sparked mixed feelings among residents.

Independent councillor Karl Love, who represents the town, said while the flags “look amazing”, their sudden appearance has “sadly caused division”.

The flags went up on Monday night (September 22), lining the main road through the town.

Cllr Love, who describes himself as “deeply patriotic” and has flown the Union Flag in his own garden for years, questioned their placement on the Island’s highway.

He said:

“Flags flown in York Avenue look amazing but are not lawfully in place.

"I once proposed that we had a row of flag poles in York Avenue and would still wish to achieve this at some point.

“It is the purpose of placing these flags as they have been at this time which is a cause of division – far from the purpose of the Union Flag to unite.

"We are all interpreting the placement in different ways.

“Even before my awareness of them, residents had reported this to Island Roads, councillors and the police, requesting their removal.”

He added that, for some people, the political symbolism felt threatening:

“I’m proud of our flag but there are a great many people who feel threatened about the political meanings of them being placed at this time.”

Cllr Love said he and colleagues had listened to the “different voices” of residents on the issue, stressing that the Union Flag should be about “bringing different nations, cultures and all peoples together”.