Flag ban for Warande residents turns out to be a mistake

"It is not allowed to hang flower pots or flags on windows or balconies. This can be dangerous in strong winds. We also do not want any displays on the building. This ensures a neutral and uniform appearance of the building. If you have hung anything, please remove it."  Thus an e-mail that residents of student complex De Warande received from the site manager.

For the residents, the mail came as a surprise. They can understand the desire for a safe living environment, but felt that the demand for a neutral and uniform appearance went much too far. "You have to be able to express yourself!", says resident Sandra. According to her, it is very important that students can make a political statement whenever they want by putting up flags. Sandra was not the only one to oppose the SSH's ban; the student housing provider received complaints from several student residents.

Enquiries with the SSH revealed that it was an oversight on the part of an ‘overly enthusiastic’ site manager, according to spokesperson Joris van Eijck. As to whether the SSH is therefore actually against the removal of flags, he says: "Yes, it should just be possible for students to express themselves!"

Fire safety
So the students do not have to remove the flags. At the moment, you can mostly see flags of Pride, Palestine and some political parties at the complex. "The message behind the flags did not play a role in the decision to send the mail," Van Eijck reports. "The SSH is really concerned about fire safety. As long as that is not compromised, flags are not a problem."

The SSH says it will still inform recipients of the mail of the mistake made.

Included in contract
The SSH's new contracts do include an article prohibiting the hanging of flags, posters and stickers on the outside of rented rooms. "We are really concerned with fire safety here. By including this in the contract, we can intervene without any problems if necessary because of safety", Van Eijck said.

The student residents have not yet received a message from SSH stating that the mail is a mistake. According to resident Sandra, it has so far backfired. "When I look around the grounds, I see that there are more flags than ever. This has happened in protest."