Nice try, investigator, but to me it looks like the clips used for attaching the flag are still on the rope, which has been run up to the top of the flagpole. You will note a "blemish" at the very top of the rope and an identical "blemish" partway down.
You will also note that the rope is not visible on the flagpoles that have flags on them because the wind direction on the flags has pulled the ropes around the poles. The flagless pole has the rope hanging straight down. If he photoshopped the flag out, he must have also photoshopped the rope with the clips in. Very accomplished photoshopping. Incredibly so, one might say.