It’s hanging from lampposts. It’s spray-painted on roundabouts. It can even be seen posted without context on Elon Musk’s X account.
In many parts of England, the red and white St George’s Cross flag has become unavoidable in recent weeks.
St George’s Day came and went more than four months ago, with nowhere near the same number of flags put on display.
So what’s going on?
Plenty of people are, of course, flying the colours as a simple display of patriotism and pride in their country.
But that alone can’t explain why so many have appeared in cities, towns and villages around the country seemingly overnight.
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Why are there English flags everywhere?
The latest influx of England flags appears to have started on the streets of Weoley Castle, a short drive outside of Birmingham.
This was the work of a group called the Weoley Warriors, who describe themselves as ‘proud English men’ on a fundraising page which has so far collected more than £20,000 for ‘flags, poles and cable ties’.
Their project – to ‘show Birmingham and the rest of the country of how proud we are of our history, freedoms and achievements’ – is clearly popular.
And that’s not just evident from the amount that’s been raised. Streets in places from Bristol to Newcastle have followed suit with their own flag displays.
It’s important to note these are almost entirely organised by regular people rather than local authorities.
In fact, the recent fervour is likely to have been fanned by local councils who were zealous in taking the flags down, saying they can pose a hazard or obstruction to pedestrians and motorists.
A scan through the comments about the flags on community social media pages show deep dissatisfaction with politics and politicians on a local and national scale.
Why is displaying St George’s flags controversial?
At such a febrile moment for the UK, it’s perhaps unsurprising the flag campaign has been embraced by far-right nationalists.
When Musk posted an image of the St George’s Cross yesterday, it was shared by anti-Islam agitator Tommy Robinson who added: ‘Revolution is coming, nothing can stop it’.
Advocacy group Hope Not Hate has also identified a number of Robinson supporters behind another campaign organising flag displays, named Operation Raise the Colours.
More broadly, the England flag is associated by some with anti-immigration sentiment, and it has featured heavily in the recent protests at asylum hotels.
Last week, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said people who sprayed red crosses on white roundabouts in Sale could be ‘seeking confrontation’.
Speaking on BBC Radio Manchester, he added: ‘You can obviously display a flag if that’s your choice but I don’t know, I do wonder about the times we’re living in.’
How have towns reacted?
Reactions to the campaign have varied heavily, reflecting the heavy role of politics in the discussion around it.
Joanne Monk, the Reform leader of Worcestershire County Council, has said she would not be instructing staff to remove any flags hung in public or painted on the road.
In the West Midlands town of Walsall, police are investigating after a pair of men wearing homemade St George’s Cross balaclavas were filmed painting the flag on roundabouts and zebra crossings.
On social media, commenters were split between calling them ‘absolute idiots’ and saying they were ‘saving the country’.
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