Close

A community ripped apart - Everything we know about the Brownhills 'flag war' after St George's Crosses and Union flags erected around Jigger statue

A community in Walsall has been left divided after a mass of flags was erected on Jigger Island.

Plus
By Daniel Walton
Published

Residents of Brownhills, in Walsall, have described being 'torn apart' over an ongoing 'flag war' that has started in their town.

The 'Miner Island', otherwise known as the 'Jigger Island', has been called a 'battlefield' by concerned residents following the appearance of hundreds of St George's Flags and Union Flags on the roundabout.

Get the latest headlines delivered straight to your inbox with the Express & Star’s free newsletter

A view of the 14m-tall Brownhills Miner statue, which has been draped in a Union flag, in Walsall, Staffordshire
The statue was recently donned in a union flag 'cape'

The Island, which is home to the 40ft tall 'Jigger the Miner' statue, is said to have become the staging ground for a battle between the 'far right' and the 'lefties', with residents saying that the community has become a 'boiling pot' for political and ideological biases.

However, many have also been left asking why the community has been divided in the first place, and also why so many flags have been placed on the island. 

So, to help understand why a 'battle' is being held over control of the island, we have listed all that we know about the 'war of the flags' that is taking place in Brownhills.

Why is this happening?

The flags were placed as part of a national debate over immigration and 'asylum seeker hotels'
The council has said that the flags won't be taken down unless they post a risk to drivers, or until they deteriorate

It all followed the launch of the national debate over asylum seeker hotels and immigration last month. 

The debate saw activist groups 'raise the colours' all over the UK, with thousands upon thousands of flags being seen to have been placed on lamposts and points of interest all over the nation.