Video shows confrontation as Worcester residents clash over Union flags; police say investigation ongoing

A video captured a confrontation on Kiln Crescent, Worcester, on Sept. 17, showing a lone mother arguing with two men from the Worcester Patriots as they mounted Union flags on lampposts outside her home. The clip circulated on social media and followed reports that the men, who said they did not live on her estate, arrived with ladders and began hanging Union Jacks and St George’s crosses from several lampposts.

The men, who belong to Worcester Patriots, told the woman they did not live on her estate and said they were mounting flags after a donation to a GoFundMe campaign was received by a local resident. The woman said she did not want the flags on the street and she followed the men to try to block access to the lamppost. The men denied following her, saying they had come to mount the flags after a donation.

The video shows the woman on the phone with police outside her home during the confrontation. At one point a man attempting to attach a flag tells her, "I think you're racist," to which she replies, "I think you're racist actually." The clip shows one of the men placing a ladder against the lamppost and the woman stepping back, then pushing the ladder to the ground twice as the men replace it. The incident concluded when a police officer arrived; the footage suggests the woman briefly stepped away from the lamppost, allowing the men to continue, but the officer ultimately ended the stand-off.

Councillor Alex Mace of the Green Party, who represents the St Stephen ward, told Worcester News the woman had approached the estate to express opposition to the flags and that the flag pushers followed her in a truck. "She's entitled to object," he said, adding that the encounter was intimidating given she is a lone mother with a child. He suggested that if the goal is unity, the flags could be placed elsewhere.

A GoFundMe page linked to the Worcester Patriots describes the effort as a campaign to "raise the colours" and notes donations toward purchasing flags and cable ties; the page has raised more than £1,500. Some comments on the group’s posts indicate that a number of flags have been mounted upside down, according to local reporting.

Local authorities have said the matter is primarily one for the council rather than the police. A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said officers were called to the altercation on Kiln Crescent around 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17. "An allegation of an assault, with no injuries, was made and enquiries are ongoing," the force said, adding that the presence of flags on community infrastructure is a council issue.