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PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Police in Essex, England, arrested a man on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence and conspiracy to commit criminal damage after a video showed people painting St. George’s crosses on a building and shouting at a Muslim woman.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: A 33-year-old man from Basildon, Essex Police, and a Muslim woman.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The incident occurred in Basildon, Essex, and came to public attention after a video circulated online.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I’m an Englishman, I’ll do it till I die, sweetheart!” – Unidentified man

🎯IMPACT: The arrest highlights Britain’s strict speech restrictions.

Police in Essex, England, have confirmed the arrest of a 33-year-old man from Basildon on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offence and conspiracy to commit criminal damage. The arrest followed the circulation of a video online showing two shirtless white men painting large St. George’s crosses on a building, and a cameraman saying “Look at the raghead there, boy” as a Muslim woman passes by.

The footage shows the men painting the walls above a row of stores and restaurants with England’s national symbol while a third person films and a young girl looks on. “You guys are crazy. How long have you been doing this for?” the young girl asks. The man painting the crosses shouts down, “I’m an Englishman. I’ll do it till I die, sweetheart!”

He later adds, “It’s for the country, for your future, sweetheart.” The cameraman then notices a Muslim woman walking by, calling out, “Look at the raghead there, boy!”

The incident comes as “Operation Raise the Colours”—a grassroots campaign to hang English and British flags on lampposts and paint the St. George’s cross on white roundabouts and zebra crossings—is spreading across the country. The initiative has been driven by public anger over masses of boat migrants being moved into hotels in the middle of local communities, irritation with the proliferation of Palestinian flags in English streets, and a desire to assert English identity in areas such as the London borough of Tower Hamlets, where ethnic minorities now outnumber English natives.

According to police, the “raghead” comment is being treated as a racially aggravated offence, which carries harsh penalties under British law.

Basildon Council’s leader, Gavin Callaghan—of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s far-left Labour Party—commented, “This week we’ve seen a large number of England and British flags put up across our borough. I think it’s fantastic to see our flag flying proudly. It shows the pride that so many people feel in our country and our community.” However, he added that “Painting on people’s shops or council buildings isn’t patriotism, it’s criminal damage.”

Callaghan’s conciliatory language on the flags stands in stark contrast with that of municipal leaders in areas where English natives are fewer in numbers, with Tower Hamlets having the St. George’s cross torn down at speed wherever it appears.

Chief Inspector Paul Hogben also addressed the incident, saying, “Regardless of anyone’s thoughts or views, causing damage by applying paint to people’s properties is clearly a criminal offence. Aside from that simple fact, some of the language directed towards a member of the public in this incident was disgraceful.”

The lads in Basildon are doing God’s work, painting St George’s Crosses on the flats. A glorious sight. pic.twitter.com/EwSZ3pvlYB

— David Atherton (@DaveAtherton20) August 23, 2025

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