Is burning the Union Jack a criminal offence?

Daniel Brett | 08.11.2001 12:01

Can activists burn the national flag and their passports to renounce their citizenship of a terrorist state like the UK?

I want to know whether I will be arrested if I burn my passport or the Union Jack on an anti-war protest to show my hatred for a country which is perpetrating war crimes in Afghanistan.

Daniel Brett
e-mail: dan@danielbrett.co.uk

Comments

Hide the following 6 comments

Do it

08.11.2001 12:23

Fuck the law, just do it anyway.

Andy O'C

passport burning

08.11.2001 12:24

You can burn flags but burning your passport?? Fine if you don't want to travel aborad again else you'll have to pay 30 quid for a new one.

EastHam Dan

legal advice

08.11.2001 14:49

Try Liberty, the national campaign for civil liberties, for info and advice on legal rights to protest.

internationalist
Homepage: http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk

Yes you can burn the union jack. no law against it. Maybe because its actually a bastard creation of the st george st andrews cross etc. you could however be arrested for public order offences or breach of the peace depending on how you go about it...

hairyscotsman2
mail e-mail: hairyscotsman2@yahoo.com
Homepage: www.hard-news.co.uk

Get a cotton flag.

08.11.2001 20:35

Cotton burns well. The cheap synthetic burn too quickly reducing the pleasure for everyone. Expensive cotton ones are usually flown on public buildings , hotels etc.....

Piromane

.

08.11.2001 23:50

I don't know about the UK but in america flag burning is a constitutional right, as declared by the supreme court.

But the cops will still bust you for it in most states...

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