Dozens of inverted flags hang at the head of the Bedumerweg (viewed from the ring road) in Groningen. It is unknown who hung the flags and when.
The municipality of Groningen tolerates the flags for the time being, says spokesperson Natascha van ‘t Hooft of the municipality of Groningen. We see it as a demonstration statement. That’s why we’re leaving them undisturbed for the time being.”
That changes if the flags pose a danger to traffic. “If they start to let go and can fall on passing cars, for example, we will remove them.”
Road safety is a reason for many other places to remove the flags. In addition, the commemoration of the official end of the Second World War in the Dutch Kingdom on 15 August plays a role. For Meppel and Zwolle, for example, this is a reason to remove the flags for that day because of the great symbolic value of the flag in that period.