‘I started the England flag on lampost movement – this is what would make me stop’

Giant patriotic flags bought from China dangle from the beauty spot (Picture: Flag Man UK) A group of 30 ‘flaggers’ conducted a ‘military-like operation’ to bypass security and dangle their ‘Stop The Boats’ Union Jacks off Clifton Suspension Bridge. The activists spent weeks planning to get the five minutes needed on the bridge to carry out the stunt on the iconic bridge outside of Bristol. The group of nationalists, some from the controversial group Raise The Colours, unfurled their message for only five minutes before security ripped them down. Danny, known as Flag Man UK, the mastermind behind the plan, told Metro: ‘We were on the bridge with the flags hidden on us because everyone would have suspected what we were going to do. Sign up for all of the latest stories Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens. ‘We were on and off that bridge within five minutes. But I buggered it up I forgot to change the memory card in my drone, so I didn’t get the video.’ Then the guards caught wind of their actions. ‘So on the side that I entered, the guard was all right when he came out. Ryan Bridge from Raising The Colours pinned by security on Clifton Suspension Bridge(Picture: The Patriotic Bristolian) ‘The other side they were a bit hostile until I walked over and had to chat with them. Even the guard said to me, “that was amazing, how quick you were in and out.”‘ But in footage it appears the security try to wrestle with the group and stop them. One guard pushes the camera out of his face as he tries to drive away the nationalists. The cameraman vows to make him famous on social media. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The activist who has even ‘flagged Stonehenge before’ said he chose Clifton Suspension Bridge because he wanted to show ‘if everyone comes together, we can do anything’. The ‘anonymous figure’ from Lowestoft, Suffolk claims to have launched the flag movement that has swept the country and seen angry locals filmed and confrontations uploaded to social media to be monetised. The flags have become omnipresent, hung outside ethnic minority businesses and homes to mark them and used to intimidate occupants of migrant hotels. But Danny insists he is not racist and has more black friends than white friends. He even spends Christmas with his Muslim father figure who stepped into his life when his father passed away. Danny also filmed himself hanging a Pride flag in Weston-Super-Mare to prove he is inclusive. Leader of Britain First, Paul Golding (C) walks alongside people waving Union Jack and St George’s cross flags during a Britain First march in Manchester (Picture: AP) Trying to explain why racists and anti-migrant far right thugs are drawn to the movement, which he claims ‘should be a peaceful thing’, he said: ‘You know they’re annoyed that these people are coming here and getting what they’re not got. They get angry and confrontational because that’s the terminology they have. ‘I think that all of this has become frustrating for everybody. I’ve got videos of my lads getting pushed off ladders and attacked too.’ But one thing would make all the relentless flagging end. ‘My promise is, if Andy Burnham ends homelessness, I’ll stop putting the flags up. I’ll stop everyone. I’ll go round. I’ll remove them all. But you know, they just won’t.’ He said other ‘flaggers’ have become obsessed with immigration whereas he is about ‘fairness’. ‘I’ve got nothing against immigration. Like half my team, my admin is Hungarian. My best friend who flags with me all the time – his whole family are from Jamaica. ‘And to be totally honest, I don’t blame anyone for breaking into our country you know, if I was in their shoes, I’d probably do the same. ‘But then I look at these people who are living on the streets, who are addicted to drugs, who just need somebody to talk to, got mental health issues, and they can’t get any help. ‘They’re like the forgotten people, but yet we’re welcoming people breaking into our country and giving them hotels.’ Speaking on a day where four migrants died while trying to reach the UK on the Channel, he said: ‘I think it’s the saddest thing in the world to see that happening. To see someone be that desperate. There is only one way to stop it, and that’s to stop the boats completely. Letting them in like that only encourages more. We’ve got their blood on our hands.’ Charity Safe Passage International described the latest deaths in the Channel as ‘devastating and avoidable’ while calling on the Government to ‘take accountability for the lack of safe routes for refugees’. Something Danny agrees with. ‘Really, what we should do is open up the Channel Tunnel and say, “Stop the dinghies, come through our tunnel.”‘ He also claims to have sent out 100,000 United Kingdom flags to people up and down the country – all bought from China. He said: ‘Sadly it is just much cheaper. If the materials were made in the UK it would be at least twice the price. It’s all coming from abroad. Nothing’s made here in the UK anymore. So what we’ve done now is I buy the fabric, I buy the art from China and then we assemble them here in the UK.’ ‘What keeps me doing it? It’s when you go and see a homeless veteran who’s got absolutely nothing, right? And you go and see them, and they’re a grown man. ‘They cry and thank you for coming to see them and actually care. And when you get one or two people doing that to you, honestly, it brings tears to your eyes. ‘My granddad died fighting for this country. They were proud as anything of that flag. It’s crazy. How can anyone be put off by that?’ Arrow MORE: The ‘Venice of England’ is an enchanting village capturing the South Coast’s beauty Arrow MORE: These ‘idyllic’ Wiltshire towns could get direct trains to London next year Arrow MORE: Butlin’s is rolling out self-service bars with drinks poured in just six seconds News Updates Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.