At @oursecondhome.org.uk, young people often paint the flags of the countries they fled. Sometimes those flags were worn by the very people who forced them out. But for them, a flag is still a memory of what home could be — and a rallying cry that we are still here.

The 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 in “Operation Raise The Colours” carries a different weight. It is a symbol of power used to mark territory, often outside the so-called hotels housing people seeking sanctuary. They are deliberately trying to exclude those who have nothing from even the smallest slice of "home" - their bed.

As England flags spread through neighbourhoods, as have attacks against migrants and racist incidents telling visible minorities to "go home". What could be a civic symbol is instead being wielded as a weapon.

Political leaders face a choice. Some are inflaming tensions, others are silent — unwilling to challenge a symbol they hope is inclusive enough for everyone to rally behind. If we don’t say when a flag has been corrupted, we hand its power to those who divide.