Leader of group behind flag campaign in England charged with 14 offences

 

Leader of group behind flag campaign in England charged with 14 offences

 

Ryan Bridge, who co-founded Raise the Colours, to appear in court on charges including racially aggravated harassment

 

Neha Gohil Midlands correspondent

Mon 7 Sep 2026 11.43 BST

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/sep/07/ryan-bridge-leader-raise-the-colours-flag-campaign-charged-offences

 

The leader of a group responsible for raising union jack and St George’s flags across England has been charged with 14 offences, including racially aggravated harassment, threatening behaviour and assault.

Ryan Bridge, 45, of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, co-founded Raise the Colours, which describes itself as a “grassroots movement for unity and patriotism”.

The group’s members have been erecting union jack and St George’s flags on roundabouts, lampposts and other street furniture across England since August last year.

Thames Valley police said they had charged Bridge with 14 offences from a two-month period in Oxfordshire from 31 January 2026. He is due to appear at Oxford magistrates court on 3 November.

The offences are:

• Seven counts of using threatening words or behaviour to cause harassment, alarm or distress.
• Three counts of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of, or provoke, unlawful violence.
• Two counts of racially aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress.
• One count of racially aggravated fear of violence.
• One count of common assault.

Officers said a file was prepared and submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service after a review of the evidence, including witness accounts and available footage.

Oxfordshire county council was granted an injunction against Bridge and others to prevent anyone from raising flags on public property, citing safety concerns as well as trespass and obstruction.

Birmingham city council announced last week it was seeking a similar injunction against Bridge and others. The application will be heard at the high court on Tuesday.

Bridge attended the Reform UK conference in Birmingham at the weekend, and told the Guardian he was invited by the party. “We got an invite, so we thought we would come along,” he said. There were no general admission tickets to the Reform conference for members of the public, where attenders were almost entirely members.

Farage praised Bridge and his group’s efforts at a conference event on Saturday, telling him: “What your campaign has done is wake up vast parts of this country.”

At the time, Bridge was on bail after he was arrested by Thames Valley police on suspicion of causing racially and religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress earlier this year. Bridge has previously denied any wrongdoing.