When people scratch the surface, they find all sorts of horror, corruption, lies, and hypocrisy, and the flying the flag campaign is sadly no different.
In recent weeks, a wave of patriotism has appeared to sweep the UK, with Union Jacks and the crosses of St. George being erected on lampposts and painted on roundabouts. While much of the right-wing media has celebrated the trend, an investigation by HOPE not Hate can reveal that the key organisers behind this activism are hardened and extreme far-right figures, including a man previously jailed for his part in a racist death.
While many individuals putting up flags are ordinary people inspired by social media, the main coordinating force is a campaign known as “Operation Raise the Colours”. HOPE not hate can exclusively reveal that its co-founder and organiser is Andrew Currien, also known as Andy Saxon, a longtime ally of Stephen Lennon (AKA Tommy Robinson).
Currien is no casual activist. He was formerly a key member of the English Defence League’s (EDL) leadership bodyguard team and now runs security for the far-right party Britain First. His criminal history is severe. In 2009, Currien was one of six men convicted after a 59-year-old man, Stainton Barrett, was crushed to death by a car following a violent brawl.
A History of Racist Violence
The court heard how Currien and five others had been on an all-night drinking binge in Wolverhampton. After pulling up outside a pub, a confrontation began when one of the group, Paul Welburn, chased a local man, Mr Barrett, to his home. Currien and two others joined as a fracas broke out, during which racist comments were hurled by the drunk men.
When Mr Barrett and his brother returned armed in self-defence, another member of the group, Anthony Benson, who had remained in the vehicle, reversed the car, crushing Stainton Barrett against his porch wall. He was pronounced dead in hospital shortly after.
Benson was jailed for six years for death by dangerous driving. Paul Welburn received four years for violent disorder. Andrew Currien, along with Daryl Rickhuss and David Garner—also EDL supporters from the Wolverhampton area—were all jailed for 18 months after pleading guilty to affray.
Despite this conviction, Currien remains a prominent extremist. His X account currently links to a fundraising page collecting money to “help us purchase new flags so we can continue putting them up”. He has boasted that in just 24 hours, his operation supplied a thousand flags to groups across the West Midlands.
A National Network of Extremists
This pattern is repeated across the country, where many local flag-raising groups are being organised by well-known far-right figures.
- In Nottingham, the group is headed by another Lennon associate, Guramit Singh. A key early member of the EDL, Singh now runs the ‘Predator Hunter’ series for Lennon’s media outlet, Urban Scoop Media. His activism was only interrupted by a prison sentence for an attempted robbery in which he and accomplices tied up a shop assistant and threatened to slash his throat.
- The far-right party Britain First has also been heavily involved. Its leader, Paul Golding, tweeted that the group had “donated 75% of its flag stock to local teams in Manchester and the West Midlands”.
- Furthermore, HOPE not Hate can reveal that football hooligan chat groups have been encouraging their supporters to get involved, with numerous ‘firms’ known to have raised flags in their local areas.
Patriotism or Extremism?
There is nothing inherently wrong with flying the nation’s flags. Despite claims on social media, it is not illegal to be proud to be English or British, and not everyone who has raised a flag is far-right.
However, the fact that this specific wave of coordinated activism is being orchestrated and funded by convicted racists, violent criminals, and veteran extremists raises serious questions about the true motivations behind “Operation Raise the Colours”. The campaign provides a veneer of respectable patriotism for individuals and groups with a long history of hatred and violence.
