A Salford woman has received backlash and threatening messages online after she posted a video of herself binning a Union Jack flag.
Stacey Bluer received hundreds of comments on her TikTok video showing herself throwing a flag in a bin that she took down from a pole near the Salford Civic Centre in Swinton.
The TikTok post that has gained more than 90 thousand views and 400 comments sparked controversy, resulting in many conflicting opinions.
She said she received hateful and threatening messages after posting the video, including one user who said: “I hope you get your head cut off by a migrant.”
Stacey, who lives in Swinton, uses her TikTok account to discuss and criticise politics and current affairs, but she noted that the response to this video was particularly aggressive.
She said: “I expected some level of backlash, as you always do on social media, especially with something of that nature, but not to the level [of backlash] that I got.
“That kind of vitriol is common on social media, towards women particularly, especially when you’re outspoken about political things.”
Recent appearances of Union Jacks and St. Crosses across the country are a part of a movement dubbed ‘Operation Raise the Colours’.
Salford council have stated that the council recognises both flags as legitimate symbols of a shared national pride.
A council spokesperson said: “We fully support residents who choose to express their national and civic pride in a responsible and appropriate manner.”
The campaign has divided opinions nationally, with online users like Stacey expressing their views on social media.
Stacey continued to say about the flags: “It’s a symbol of something people hold dear and national pride, obviously, it’s something that a lot of people are passionate about.
“But in the last five years, especially there’s been such a marked increase in nationalism, I think a lot of it is online radicalisation, so I think it’s deeper than just national pride.”
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