Pro-Palestine protesters in Manchester have been condemned after destroying a Union Jack flag in front of counter-protesters and police officers.
The large demonstration, which descended on the city centre on Saturday, saw crowds of protesters take turns in tearing segments of the flag, waving the remaining pieces in celebration towards the police.
Speaking to GB News, commentator Suzanne Evans condemned the action and claimed that it should be “illegal” to act against the national flag in such a way.
Evans fumed: “I’m generally not the sort of person that’s in favour of banning things, but it is our national flag. I don’t think you should be allowed to burn it.
Suzanne Evans condemned protesters who desecrate the Union flag, claiming that it should be illegal
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“I’d go a little bit further. Actually, I don’t think we should be having any flags flown on public buildings apart from the Union Flag.”
Hitting out at public buildings for displaying various flags on their exteriors, Evans added: “I’m sick to death of seeing town halls, organisations flying the pride flag, the Palestinian flag, the Ukrainian flag, whatever it might be.
“I think there’s only one flag that should be flown on public buildings in this country, and that’s the Union Flag.”
Highlighting the apparent rise in the desecration of flags and religious texts, Evans told GB News that they are “offensive” and “crass” acts that should be condemned, no matter which religious text or symbol it is.
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The Union flag was torn apart by several pro-Palestine protesters in Manchester
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Evans argued: “I too agree that burning the Koran is a really stupid, crass thing to do. It’s very offensive.
“Whether you’re a religious person or not or believe in religious texts or not, don’t desecrate something that somebody else feels very strongly about.”
In disagreement with Evans, former Labour special adviser Paul Richards claimed that banning the act of destroying the Union Flag would only “encourage the idiots more”.
Richards explained: “I think it would actually just encourage the idiots to want to do it even more, and they probably see more of it as a result, because they want to get martyred and arrested and all the rest of it. They’re idiots doing it.
Evans told GB News that the only flag that should be flown on public buildings is the national flag
GB News
“But in terms of other flags on buildings, I was in Westminster today and I quite liked seeing the Ukrainian flag flying above Government buildings. It’s a reminder of our solidarity with those people.”
When pressed by host Michelle Dewberry on why Britain is choosing to fly “only Ukraine’s flag and not other flags” on their buildings, Richards argued that the ongoing conflict with Russia is the situation that “most threatens our security” as a nation.
Richards said: “It is the most important conflict that will threaten our security that is going on right now. Of course, the world is a terrible, dangerous place, but it’s a good symbol of our solidarity with those people.”
When pressed for his view on pride flags on public buildings, Richards concluded: “Yes on the relevant week and not permanently, but it’s just a bit of solidarity with people, and I think there’s no harm in these things.”