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Flags and protests in the UK: what is it all about? By Ben

An easy news article explaining what the increase in use of flags in public places means

Flags and protests in the UK: what is it all about? By Ben

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    1. Over the last few months, lots of people have been putting English and British flags up on lampposts, bridges and even painting them on roundabouts.

    2. They have said they are putting the flags up because of patriotism. Patriotism means feeling love and pride for your country.

    3. Some people do not believe the flags are being put up out of patriotism. They believe the flags are being put up by people who want to make others feel unwelcome, especially those who were not born in the UK, or people who are not white.

    4. The rise of the flags has been happening alongside growing worries across the country about immigration. Many people are worried about the amount of people coming to the UK in small boats to seek asylum.

    5. A person seeking asylum is someone who has left their own country out of fear for their safety. This is often due to war, or fear of violence, so they travel to another country to apply to live there.

    6. Although these people are often called illegal immigrants on social media and in the news, it is actually legal for a person to seek asylum in any country. They only become illegal if they get told they cannot stay in a country but continue to do so.

    7. The number of people travelling to the UK in small boats is rising. Government statistics for the year ending March 2025 show 38,023 people arriving this way, which is 22% more than in 2024.

    8. In September, 150,000 people went to a march in London led by Tommy Robinson called ‘Unite the Kingdom’. Tommy Robinson’s real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, and he created The English Defence League (EDL) in 2009. It is known as a far-right group.

    9. A far-right group is a group of people with extreme political beliefs, often believing that some groups of people are better than others, and that traditional views are best.

    10. Tommy Robinson has anti-Islam views and has been in trouble with the police, including having 8 criminal convictions.

    11. Although most of the protesters were peaceful, some were violent. 26 police officers were injured when some protestors threw bottles at them and 24 people were arrested.

    12. The protest was supported by Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, who spoke to the protestors through a video link.

    13. 5,000 people joined a counter-protest organised by ‘Stand Up To Racism’ at the same time and place. A counter-protest is a protest against another protest.

    14. Many counter-protestors believe asylum seekers are being unfairly blamed for many of the struggles people in the UK are facing. They want asylum seekers to feel safe and welcome in the UK.

    15. As well as these protests in London, there have been lots of protests outside hotels where asylum seekers are being homed while they wait for their asylum application to be processed.

    16. The people protesting against the asylum seekers are not happy about the support they get from the Government to live here and believe it is unfair to British people who also need help.

    17. Most asylum seekers get less than £50 a week to support them, and this covers food, clothing and toiletries – these are things like soap, toothpaste and shampoo.

    18. They are not allowed to work until their claim has been processed, but this can take many years.

    19. Those protesting also believe that lots of asylum seekers are not really fleeing danger, but want to live in the UK to get benefits and use the NHS.

    20. The latest immigration statistics from the Government show there were 85,112 asylum applications in the UK in the year to March 2025. 47% of those were approved in the first decision stage.

    21. Of those who were rejected at the first stage, 48% who choose to appeal won and got their application approved, which means almost half of the first decisions were wrong.

    22. The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has promised to try and reduce the amount of people coming to the UK to claim asylum.

    23. On 2 October, he talked about policy changes that would change the right of refugees to apply for settlement status in the UK permanently.

    24. Refugees will now have to live here for 10 years instead of 5 years before applying, and need to show they are in work, are good at speaking and understanding English, and have no criminal record.

    25. Settlement status gives people the right to live, work, and study in the UK, and apply for benefits for as long as they want.

    26. Settlement status gives people the right to live, work, and study in the UK, and apply for benefits for as long as they want.

    27. With immigration continuing to be one of the most talked about topics in Government, protests and the displaying of flags is likely to continue for quite some time.

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