The St George’s flag has been a hot topic of conversation for some time (Image: SWNS)
A man who recorded an incident where he confronted other men hanging St George’s flags outside his home has said he has been subject to horrific online abuse. 35-year-old Adam Willett spotted the group of men hanging the flags outside his home in Braintree, Essex, on Sunday, April 19, when he asked them to stop. The tattoo artist recorded the encounter where he asks the men to stop.
He has since explained that he believed the men had “ulterior motives” rather than just pride in their country. The footage went viral online and garnered close to 1.5 million views across social media platforms. Willett has said that since then, he has received threatening messages online, and said that one person told him that his pregnant partner should be raped by a migrant. There is no suggestion that the man hanging the flags is linked to the abusive social media messages.
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Willett said that during the encounter, he popped his head out his window and politely asked the men not to hang the flag up outside his house. He said that when he stepped outside and used a ladder to remove the flag, a few of the men began filming once he himself had stopped.
“I was trying to ask them a few questions about why they were doing it, and they didn’t really have an answer,” he said.
“They just said they loved the flag. I don’t wish these people any ill will but the fact they didn’t have an answer is very telling. There are a lot of people who have genuine concerns about immigration but they’re being undermined by people with ulterior motives.
“The timing of everything is convenient, they’re very careful with their words, and lots of people are divided by this. Braintree is a predominantly white area, but there are people of colour, and of different sexualities, and in my work, I hear how people are being impacted.”
Adam confronting men hoisting a St George’s flag on a lamppost outside his home (Image: Adam Willett / SWNS)
The St George’s flag has become a hot topic of conversation over the past year, as it has been used in demonstrations about immigration and asylum seekers in the UK.
Adam went on to describe the nature of the messages he received online as a result of the video. “They’ll claim putting up the flags is about unity and patriotism, but I don’t know who is being unified here,” he said.
“I’ve been called a traitor, homophobic slurs, been told I should be hanged, that my pregnant partner should be raped by a gang of migrants.”
He added: “One fake review left for my business complained I had tattooed his 19-year-old daughter and touched her inappropriately. If you’re part of a movement that claims equality and safety for women, and say you want to protect your daughters, it is pretty despicable to fabricate something like that.”
However, some people have shown him support. “People have come into my shop to say thank you,” he revealed. “People use that we’ve had people die for our country as an argument for the flags.
“But the amount of ex-servicemen and women who have come out in support of me is staggering.”
He has since approached Essex Police about some of the messages he has received online. Essex Police confirmed they had received a report and that enquiries were underway.
Willett has also started an online petition calling for Essex Highways and Essex County Council to “remove illegally hung flags from public property”.