A BRITISH street festooned with Union flags has sparked outrage on social media – and some commentators have likened the display to Nazi Germany.
Regent Street in central London has been decked out with large strings of flags hung over the road in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
But some have hit out at the display, saying it harks back to "fascist" displays of patriotism under jingoistic dictators.
Femi Oluwole, an English anti-Brexit campaigner and writer for The Independent, said the Union flag “represents blatant fascism” at present.
He tweeted: “People are getting the wrong end of the stick about all the flags on Regent Street.
How amazing does Regent Street look? All streets should be looking like this, ALL the time 😍 pic.twitter.com/ZuOLkMkOJ8
— Stephen James (@StephenJamesGBR) May 22, 2022
“There's nothing wrong with flag decorations, no matter how 'excessive'.
“The issue is what the flag represents. Right now, it represents blatant fascism. It's our job to fix that.”
Freelance writer Emma Partlow said: “Don't know about you, but celebrating our history of imperial terror and decades of austerity isn't for me (Queen's Jubilee).
“The vanity and insecurity of this country makes me want to hurl.”
Nigel Warburton, the host of the Philosophy Bites podcast, said: “For those of us who grew up in the suburbs of London in the 1960s and 70s this just looks like something the National Front dreamt up.”
Barrister Rupert Myers said: “Love the flag, don’t want to live in the Austin Powers intro scene - we aren’t that nationally insecure are we?”
One social media user said: “Imagine any street in Scotland filled with Scotland flags. The [mainstream media] would be spewing at the Nationalism. This is absolutely fine though. British Nationalism gets a pass”
Others shared images of the Nuremberg Rallies, the mass assemblies held to bolster and promote the Nazi party which featured large banners bearing the swastika against a red backdrop.
It comes after a speech from SNP MP Mhairi Black went viral last week, focusing on the threat of fascism in Britain.
She said: “Over the last 12 years I fear we are sleepwalking closer and closer to the f-word. And I know everyone is scared to say it for fear of sounding over the top or being accused of going too far, but I say this with all sincerity when I say the f-word I’m talking about is fascism. Fascism wrapped in red white and blue.
“Fascism does not come in with intentional evil plans, or the introduction of leather jackboots … it happens subtly.”
It is thought there are around 150 Union flags suspended over Regent Street, just over a mile from Buckingham Palace.
The controversy was sparked by a tweet from the chair of the Folkeston and Hythe Conservatives Association Stephen James, who shared a video of the street with the caption: “How amazing does Regent Street look? All streets should be looking like this, ALL the time.”
