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In Essex, a man has been arrested by police for allegedly engaging in racist behavior and causing criminal damage after a video surfaced on social media showing St. George’s crosses being painted on homes. The video depicts two men painting red crosses on the walls of flats above a line of shops in Basildon, Essex, while a third person films and a young girl observes. Racial slurs are heard as a woman wearing a headscarf passes by with a child. Basildon Council’s Labour leader, Gavin Callaghan, expressed appreciation for the patriotic sentiment behind the England flags displayed throughout the area but cautioned against criminal activities, emphasizing that “Racism has no place in Basildon.”
The row of shops on Whitmore Way includes a convenience store, a pharmacy, and various food outlets like an Indian restaurant, a Chinese takeaway, and a burger bar. Following numerous reports from the public regarding the video, Essex Police arrested a 33-year-old man from Basildon on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offense and conspiracy to commit criminal damage. The man was questioned and later released on bail as the investigation continues. Chief Inspector Paul Hogben condemned the act of applying paint to people’s properties as a criminal offense and decried the disgraceful language directed towards a member of the public in the incident.
The recent surge in St. George’s flags being displayed around the country was acknowledged by Basildon Borough Council leader, Gavin Callaghan, who emphasized the distinction between legitimate flag-flying and vandalism. Callaghan expressed approval for the pride demonstrated by many in the community through the display of flags but made it clear that defacing property is not an act of patriotism. The council has resolved not to remove any flags, though Callaghan stressed that painting on buildings constitutes criminal damage, not an act of love for one’s country. The widely circulated video depicting the painting of a St. George’s flag on shops in Whitmore Way was explicitly criticized by Callaghan for containing vile racist abuse directed at a mother and child, behaviors that he deemed unacceptable and deserving of condemnation
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