While visiting my partner’s mum in Surrey over the weekend, she told us about the racism she experienced when she first moved in. I had seen a few St George’s flags on our way to her house, and something clicked into place. It was an uneasiness that I have felt since the anti-immigration riots in 2024.
On the drive home, we saw more flags than I had anticipated. Twenty more St George’s flags down one street, and one house covered in bunting of them. On one road leading to the M25, the lamp posts had alternating St George’s and Union flags. With my anxiety already peaking, I was left in shock. What I was seeing was a statement, and it said, “You’re on our land”. It’s the most unwelcome I’ve felt in England for a long time.
