Rumours claiming a pub in Nuneaton, UK named the Royal Oak has been told to paint over the St. George flag painted on the exterior wall are spreading.
While it appears that the landlady of the Royal Oak did indeed receive a phone call – apparently from the council – demanding the St. George design be painted over, it appears that the call itself was just a hoax.
Tess Simms reported in April 2016 of receiving a phone call apparently from the local council informing her that after several complaints had been filed with the council, the pub would need to paint over the design.
This quickly led to an online petition that accrued thousands of signatures in protest to the demands. However the local council denied issuing such demands, attributing the call to a prankster.
This didn’t stop several extreme right-wing groups (Yes, including Britain First) from reposting the story as true, helping the story gain traction over social media.
A spokesperson from the local council said the following –
“We were first made aware on this via social media yesterday evening.
“It appears that The Royal Oak in Attleborough has received a hoax telephone call as no one from the Council has called them.
“No planning permission is needed for the St. George’s Cross being added to the pub and as far as we are aware no laws have been broken.”