Raising the colour: Hackney flies flag for Black History Season

Standing firm in power and pride: Hackney Council flys the flag for its Black History Season. Photograph: Hackney Citizen

Hackney Council has hoisted its official Black History Season flag above its town hall to mark the launch of its annual celebrations.

Following a summer where flag wars have polarised the country, the borough is “Standing Firm in Power and Pride” as it celebrates its diverse African and Caribbean communities, carnival heritage and historic anniversaries.

Cllr Carole Williams, Hackney Council cabinet lead for equalities said: “As we fly the Black History Season flag above Hackney Town Hall, we’re marking history and celebrating the living contributions of Black communities that shape our borough.

“This year’s theme ‘Standing Firm in Power and Pride,’ feels especially poignant given recent events across the UK.”

This year’s Black History Season, which runs throughout October and November, opens with the CLR James Festival marking 40 years of the renaming of Dalston Library.

The line-up combines council-hosted events, community-funded projects, and activities from Hackney’s cultural venues and partners to create a packed borough-wide programme of talks, workshops, exhibitions and film screenings.

Residents can also see the borough’s official Black History Season flag fly over the Town Hall.

Designed by Hackney schoolgirl Malaika Parillon Langlais as part of a competition in 2018, the flag depicts a black woman with the initials B,H and M picked out in her hair in yellow.

‘Core values are a choice’: Cllr Carole Williams

Cllr Williams said: “In times when division threatens, raising this flag is a powerful act of unity and a reminder that standing together for inclusion, equality, and our core values are always a choice.

“And as we mark National Hate Crime Awareness Week, this flag also acts as a statement that there’s no room for hate in Hackney. We stand united against any form of division, and we celebrate the strength of our shared humanity.”

Over the summer, flags have become an increasingly contentious point of discussion.

In August, the flag of England bearing Saint George’s Cross and Union Jacks were pinned to motorway bridges, lampposts, roundabouts and shops across the UK, whilst red crosses were spray painted on the white stripes of zebra crossings.

Many instances were carried out by ordinary people encouraged by posts on social media.

Poles apart: St George’s flags in Plaistow, Newham. Photograph: Hackney Citizen

But the phenomenon came about amid a tense atmosphere, with protests against asylum seekers and a social media campaign dubbed #OperationRaisetheColours – led by Andrew Currien, a former member of the English Defence League and now a security figure for Britain First, according to the anti-far-right group HOPE NOT HATE.

Operation Raise the Colours was active in parts of East London but councils were quick to cite safety concerns and a lack of permission to display flags on public property as a reason for them to be removed.

In Tower Hamlets, residents saw Manchester Road lined with St George’s flags close to The Britannia Hotel in Canary Wharf – the site of recent protests over asylum seekers.

A council spokesperson said flags attached to council-owned infrastructure without permission, “may be removed as part of routine maintenance”.

In Newham, Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz has announced a review of the council’s policy on flying flags to “ensure that our approach to flags and special lighting of our civic buildings reflects and supports all Newham’s diverse communities, of all population sizes.”

Mayor Fiaz said St George’s Crosses and Union flags being tied to lampposts could be a “symbol of respect and celebration” but also “a symbol associated with the rise of far right demonstrations that they are instigating across the country in protest against asylum seekers, refugees and Muslims.”

In Hackney, the movement has not been so successful, with few union flags visible in the streets. On X, one user posted: “I’ve never been so proud to be from Hackney, not an England flag in sight.”

As part of Hackney’s Black History Season, residents are being asked to contribute to the annual Black History exhibition.

In response to the “current campaign of division and hate using the Union Jack and St Georges Cross flags”, the council said, “we would like you to contribute as many flags from African and Caribbean countries as possible and we will create a wonderful display of unity and love”.

As the debate over patriotism or prejudice continues, some have started to question why flags have become so divisive for local government.

Dylan Law, the Hackney Green party hopeful for Deputy Mayor, said flags alone would not cause change for communities. He told the Citizen: “Hackney has a proud history of standing up to racism and it is good to see the council reflecting that. I would, however, like to see more action from Hackney Council. Flags alone won’t change the realities Black communities face.”