Patriote flag
The Patriote flag was used by the Patriote movement in Lower Canada (present-day Quebec) between 1832 and 1838.
It is similar to the civil flag of the German Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the national flag of Hungary and former national flag of Iran.
It is also similar to the British Republican Flag, originated in 1816, in use until at least 1935.
Some theories about its origins claim that the colour green was adopted to represent the Irish of Lower Canada, the colour white for the "French Canadians," and red the English of the territory. Some also say that the tricolour style was inspired by the French tricolour, symbol of the French Revolution that inspired the Patriotes. It became the national flag of the Republic of Lower Canada at the Declaration of Independence of Lower Canada in 1838. Currently, it is used by contemporary Quebec independence supporters as a symbol of their movement and ideal. It is often seen in crowds at Quebec National Day concerts and gatherings and was featured at the voting day assembly of YES supporters of the 1995 Quebec referendum on independence.
MLNQ flag for independentists
A flag derived from it was created for promoting independence. It includes a yellow star on the upper left and Henri Julien's illustration of a Lower Canada rebel, Le Vieux de '37, in the middle.
Usage by nationalists
The MLNQ flag has been used by members of ultranationalist group Storm Alliance,[1] as well as by individuals at rallies for other nationalist groups like La Meute,[2][3] the Canadian Jewish Defense League, the Three Percenters, the Northern Guard, and the Canadian Combat Coalition.[4][5]
References
- Lacolle border reopened as protests by anti-racist, far-right groups dwindle CBC News, 30 September 2017
- Counter-protesters swarm far-right La Meute protest in Quebec City Montreal Gazette, 21 August 2017
- ICI.Radio-Canada.ca, Zone Société -. "Retour en images sur la journée de manifestation à Québec". Radio-Canada.ca (in French). Retrieved 2018-08-22.
- "Parliament Hill: marred by hate speech or a place for protest? - iPolitics". iPolitics. 2018-08-02. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
- https://web.archive.org/web/20191023085037/https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/05/theres-a-perception-that-canada-is-being-invaded/561032/
- Fraser, Alistair B. "Chapter XV: Quebec", in The Flags of Canada, January 30, 1998
- (in French) Gouvernement du Québec. "Le fleurdelisé : reflet de notre histoire en Amérique", in the site Drapeau et symboles nationaux of the Government of Québec, updated on January 14, 2008
- (in French) Cliche, Philippe. "Les drapeaux des Patriotes", in the site Les Patriotes de 1837@1838, online since May 20, 2000
- (in French) Bouvier, Luc. "Histoire des drapeaux québécois: du tricolore canadien au fleurdelisé québécois", in HeraldicAmerica (first published in l'Héraldique au Canada in 1994 and L'Action nationale in 1996)
See also
- Quebec nationalism
- Quebec independence movement
- History of Quebec
- Timeline of Quebec history