Police investigate viral video of abuse aimed at workers removing flags in Maidenhead

Police are investigating any ‘unlawful behaviour’ after a video circulating on social media showed two council workers being verbally abused for taking down flags in Cox Green.

The footage under investigation has been widely shared and depicts two men operating an access platform to remove Union and St George’s flags on Highfield Lane last week.

They are angrily confronted by a man who demands the removed flags be given to him.

Royal Borough leader Simon Werner has said the man's behaviour was 'completely unacceptable' and said the council 'will not tolerate our hard-working colleagues being abused'.

Over the past month, St George’s and Union flags have been increasingly hoisted in towns, villages and cities across the country following a social media campaign named Operation Raise Your Colours.

The movement has stirred debate, with some praising it as a show of patriotism and others associating it with prejudice and division.

Controversial right-wing political activists Tommy Robinson and Laurence Fox reshared the one-and-a-half-minute clip on X last week, captioned with ‘leave our flags alone’ and ‘stop paying council tax’.

Windsor Liberal Democrats denounced the footage shared by Mr Fox in a Facebook statement on Tuesday, September 16.

“Let’s be clear: we will not tolerate this kind of behaviour. Our nation’s flags should not be used to stoke fear and cause division,” read the statement.

“Threatening hard-working RBWM workers, who have been tasked with removing flags placed illegally on the highway, is totally unacceptable and distinctly un-British.

“Freedom of Speech – yes. Freedom to abuse and threaten – absolutely not.”

The party said that it had shared the full video with Thames Valley Police for investigation, which has now been viewed on X more than 700,000 times and reshared on multiple other social media platforms.

In August, cabinet member for highways, Cllr Geoff Hill, told the Advertiser that, while the council was in 'no rush' to remove flags, they were placed on public property and would have to come down eventually.

He said: "It is, in effect, flyposting and it is illegal. But with the current mood in the country, I think we need to be very sensitive and careful with the way we go about this.”

In a statement following the video, the leader of the council, Cllr Simon Werner, said: “While displaying flags is a very British way of expressing joy and pride, often bringing communities together, especially around sporting events, there is nothing British about intimidating others.

"That's not patriotism. It’s completely unacceptable and has no place in our borough.

“We will not tolerate our hard-working colleagues being abused while delivering services to our communities and will always report any instances to the police.”

At a full council meeting on Tuesday, Cllr Hill said the contractor has ‘declined’ to remove any more ‘deliberately provocative’ flags after workers were subjected to ‘serious threats’.

“In executing the business of the borough, which is legitimate because every single flag that is flying or painted on the road is illegal…our contractor has been threatened, and quite serious threats as well,” he added.

“To be blunt, I don't have a means of taking the flags down because the contractor has declined.

“So, we're working on a way of actually getting them down, keeping our officers safe, and our contractors safe, and their safety is a priority.”

Since receiving the footage, Thames Valley Police has now launched an investigation.

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: “An investigation has been launched following an alleged public order offence that occurred on Cox Green Lane, Maidenhead, on Monday, September 15.

“We have received footage that appears to show two men being threatened and verbally abused, and our enquiries are ongoing.

“While the matter of flags is primarily for the local authority, we will investigate any unlawful behaviour directed at workers carrying out their duties.

“We would like to reassure the public that appropriate measures are being taken. Anyone with information should call 101 quoting reference 43250472182.