A group hanging St George’s Cross and Union Jack flags along Abingdon Road has prompted a police investigation, following reports of disruption and alleged intimidation.

The incident, which took place during rush hour, saw a group in high-vis jackets using a cherry picker to attach flags to light posts along the road. Residents reported concerns about obstruction, as well as what some described as confrontational or abusive behaviour.

Thames Valley Police has confirmed that it is investigating. In a statement issued on Saturday, the force said it was “aware of an incident that took place on the Abingdon Road… in relation to people raising flags on street furniture” and that enquiries are ongoing. Police added that “where criminal offences are identified, we will take appropriate and proportionate action”. 

The group involved is understood to be part of the national movement, Raise the Colours, which has been responsible for similar activity elsewhere in Oxfordshire.

Oxfordshire County Council told Cherwell that it “recognise[s] the strength of feeling locally around this issue and the impact it’s having on our communities”. The council added that it supports the “residents’ right to display flags on their own property,” but warned that placing flags on or near highways can create “serious safety hazards”, including reduced visibility and increased risk of distraction for road users.

The council confirmed that its teams remove unauthorised flags “during routine maintenance or where they pose an immediate risk”. However, the council said staff carrying out this work had experienced “intimidating and threatening behaviour”, which it described as “completely unacceptable”. It added that it is working with the police to share evidence so that appropriate action can be taken. 

The County Council has since issued a formal legal notice requiring the group to stop placing flags on or near highways without permission. The council warned that failure to comply could result in civil or criminal proceedings.

In a statement, Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of the Council, said the “scale and persistence of this activity is affecting communities across Oxfordshire”. Whilst emphasising that the England and UK flags are “visible symbols of democracy and unity”, she described the group’s actions as “an act of intimidation and division that is having a real and damaging impact on our communities”.

Anneliese Dodds, MP for Oxford East, also criticised the incident. In a statement, she said that while individuals have the right to display flags at their own homes, “that is not what has happened here”, adding that those involved appeared to have “imposed themselves on the residents… and disrupted traffic in the rush hour”.

Dodds said reports of abusive behaviour “must obviously be investigated” and described the incident as “the opposite of activity to bring our community together”.

Raise the Colours was approached for comment.

CW: Sexual violence, assault, rape.

The prominent Oxford academic and Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan has been sentenced by a Paris criminal court to an 18-year jail term for rape offences committed between 2009 and 2016. Ramadan was convicted of the rape of three women, two years after he was imprisoned for a separate rape offence in Switzerland. 

Ramadan was employed by the University of Oxford as Professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at St Antony’s College. During his tenure, in October 2017, he was accused by two women of rape, sexual assault, violence, and harassment at the height of the Me Too movement. Ramadan continued to teach until November, when he took an agreed leave of absence from Oxford. At the time, the University said that the leave “allows Professor Ramadan to address the extremely serious allegations made against him”, but “implies no presumption or acceptance of guilt”. 

In January 2018, he was detained by French police and taken into custody, where he was formally charged with two counts of rape. Following this, further accusations against him emerged, with more women coming forward with claims that he had made unwanted sexual advances towards them, including allegations of violence and psychological abuse. 

As a result, he was formally charged in 2020 with the rape of two more women in France and faced a further charge of rape in Switzerland. Ramadan has consistently denied the charges against him, claiming that they are politically motivated as part of a smear campaign. 

Ramadan officially left his position at the University of Oxford in 2021. A spokesperson for the University told Cherwell: “Professor Ramadan left the employment of the University of Oxford in June 2021 by mutual agreement on the basis of early retirement on grounds of ill-health.”

In 2023, Yann Le Mercier was convicted of cyberharassing Ramadan and another individual because of the ongoing court proceedings. At the time, he received the heaviest prison sentence for a cyberbullying case. Ramadan currently has 2.4 million followers on Facebook. 

Ramadan was tried by a Swiss appeals court in 2024 over an incident in Geneva in 2008. He was convicted of rape and sexual coercion and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment, overturning a previous acquittal. His subsequent appeal against the sentence was rejected. 

Ramadan failed to appear in court in Paris this month. His lawyers attributed his absence to his hospitalisation in Switzerland on account of multiple sclerosis, “violating a conditional release order that required him to remain in France”, as Le Monde reports. Prior to the trial, however, a court-ordered medical assessment had confirmed his fitness to plead. 

He was convicted in absentia for the rape of three women and sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment. Following the verdict, the court issued an arrest warrant and imposed a permanent ban from French territory, coming into effect upon completion of the sentence. The judgment is not final and is expected to be appealed. 

This case comes amid broader concerns about the University of Oxford’s handling of sexual misconduct and assault allegations. These concerns have been further intensified by controversy surrounding another professor who was not suspended despite facing allegations of rape. 

St Anne’s College has recently launched the Jane Schulz-Hood Travel and Research Scholarship Fund in memory of alumna Jane E. Hood. The initiative will provide travel and research grants to support students undertaking field work for projects that advance understanding of ecology, the environment, society, global health, and equity issues. 

By providing financial assistance for research and travel, it intends to support students to meaningfully contribute to fields that were important to Jane, where they might otherwise be limited by financial barriers. According to St Anne’s, the fund aligns with its mission to help students “understand the world and change it for the better”. 

Established by Jane’s family, the scholarship honours both her achievements and her commitment to education. After graduating from Oxford with a BA in Geography, she built a distinguished career as a lawyer in London. Jane passed away in September 2019 at the age of 49, after a battle with cancer. 

Her husband Christian said: “For her, education was always a top priority. This included learning as much as possible about other cultures.

“Not surprisingly, Jane loved travelling. She was always very respectful towards others and cherished being in nature. She therefore was interested in the environment and supported initiatives that look after wildlife, water and education.” 

Christian added: “Through this fund, we hope that, by providing financial support for research and travel, students at St Anne’s will be able to explore areas that were important to Jane. This will be a wonderful opportunity to give back and to have a legacy for Jane.

St Anne’s told Cherwell that the College “expects to award the grants annually, with the intention that they’ll begin being offered as soon as the fund is fully established”, within the 2026-27 academic year.

“We are thrilled that this Scholarship Fund will become a living legacy for Jane’s generosity of spirit, love of education and deep respect for people and the planet. We look forward to seeing the impact it will have on the next generation of St Anne’s students.”