This is England 2025.

It starts slowly at first, then all of a sudden it just creeps up on you.

A fortnight ago, a mob walked along one of the main streets of Faversham, the small town in Kent where I live. They were chanting “Sieg Heil”, hanging St George’s flags from lamp posts, and crudely daubing roundabouts and zebra crossings with red crosses. The mob had been emboldened by Reform, and by mainstream politicians unwilling to call them out. They are using our flag as a symbol of prejudice to instil hate and fear – it is not jolly old bunting.

Fast forward a week, and late at night, a small group stalked the streets – hanging up more distressed nylon and subjecting residents who objected to abuse and threats, filming them for social media channels. The ringleader and his followers also conducted a street patrol – making sure his flags were not touched. Stickers for the British National Socialist Movement, an extreme neo-Nazi group, have materialised on the town’s postboxes and street furniture. Residents feel they are under siege – and the atmosphere for people, especially those of colour, in the town is like the 1970s when the National Front held sway (I’m in my 50s so I remember that........

© The Guardian