The Insane Ramblings of Wonko The Sane

Stuart Parr's Blog at vbCity
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Are you allowed to fly your national flag?

Cross of St George have this very interesting thread on their forums.

A local authority has threatened a woman with legal action if she doesn't remove her English flag from her house citing advertising regulations.  My research has shown that this simply isn't true.  International laws on human Rights protect your right to fly your national flag and/or symbols.  Also, national flags are exempt from the advertising regulations (part of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990).

Sources are as follows:

http://www.papuaweb.org/dlib/lap/sullivan/en/symbols.rtf
http://www.andrewgeorge.org.uk/press/504.htm

The relevant parts are as follows:

International Law

The display of a regional flag, flag-raising ceremonies and the singing, in public, of a regional anthem are elements of the freedom of expression and the freedom of assembly according to international human rights law.

In correspondence to his Liberal Democrat Parliamentary colleague, Paul Tyler MP, the Planning Minister, Rt. Hon Keith Hill MP, has said that, “Under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, flags come within the definition of ‘advertisement’…However,…the national flag of any country is exempt from advertisement control provided…it does not have anything added to the design of the flag or any advertising material added to the flagstaff. We are currently amending the Regulations to exempt from control national flags however they are flown from a flagstaff.

“The Cross of St George is England’s national flag and is therefore exempt from control…However, individual saint’s flags which are not also national flags requires prior consent from the local planning authority before they can be flown.”

If anyone knows how to contact this woman, please point her in the direction of this information.  If the local authority in question sets a precedent for this law controlling the display of national flags it will make it easier for petty little Hitler's all over the country to do the same.

posted on Saturday, April 30, 2005 10:38 AM