Graffiti Hits Reading Road Signs in Night Protest

Road signs have been hit with red England flag graffiti in Reading at night as part of Operation Raise the Colours.

Road signs in Reading were hit with red England flag graffiti as part of Operation Raise the Colours. Masked individuals painted the St George's cross on signs in Whitley, mirroring similar actions across the UK.

The flag was spotted on road signs at a roundabout for Northumberland Avenue, as well as on signs for Long Barn Lane and Cressingham Road. This graffiti appeared prominently near the former Whitley Library, now the Al Majid Centre mosque, which opened in 2022.

Barkat Ali, founder of the mosque, expressed concern over the vandalism, stating, "There is such a lovely community. I wonder why these people did this. We’ve got CCTV, and the security guard came out to stop them, but they ran away." He noted that they arrived with a paint roller and brush, causing damage that the police and council are now addressing.

A Reading Borough Council street cleaner was seen working at the roundabout, tasked with removing the graffiti, while a council spokesperson confirmed they are aware of the situation. They stated, "We appreciate people may want to show their patriotism, but we cannot condone this action as it poses a safety risk to the public. The council will be removing the paint and repainting these assets."

Operation Raise the Colours, which started earlier this month, aims to display England and UK flags, with St George's cross painted on road signs nationwide. However, graffiti on road signs is illegal and can lead to penalties including fines or even imprisonment.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter