People who use the union jack or St George\u2019s cross as a form of aggressive nationalism do not love their country, a senior Liberal Democrat has said, as he hit back at a wave of hard-right activism based around the flags.<\/p>\n
In a strongly worded speech to a rally opening the party\u2019s annual conference in Bournemouth, Tim Farron, a former leader who now speaks for the party on the environment and rural affairs, said national flags should never be \u201cused to intimidate\u201d.<\/p>\n
Farron argued that those who hijacked the flags to try to insist on a narrow definition of Britishness or patriotism, or who used the emblems to \u201cintimidate and terrify people\u201d, did not truly love their country.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow dare the nationalists steal our flags? How dare they steal what it is to be British, English, Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Farron argued that he was \u201ca proud patriot\u201d but not a nationalist, saying: \u201cAnd you can tell the difference easily. You see patriots love their country. Nationalists hate their neighbours. I love my country.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking in the wake of a mass far-right rally<\/a> in London a week ago in which many protesters draped themselves in the British or English flags<\/a>, and a recent spate of people hanging flags on lamp-posts<\/a> or spraying a red cross on to streets, Farron said such symbols should never be excluding.<\/p>\n \u201cOur flag does not belong to Liberals, or to Conservatives, Reform, or to Labour. It does not belong to one creed or to one race. It belongs to one people, the British people. We will not let our flag be used to intimidate. We will not let our flag become the property of a minority,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo my message to the nationalists is this: I\u2019m afraid that you do not really love your country.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what\u2019s happening and why it matters<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n \u201cYou cannot love your country if \u2013 as its seems \u2013 you hate everything about it and claim allegiance only to a Britain of some fantasy golden age that never existed. You do not love your country if you seek to intimidate and terrify people who are British through and through. You do not love your country if you lie about it at home and abroad, actively plan to do it harm, and suck up to our enemies.<\/p>\n \u201cSo let us reclaim our flags for those who would reunite and rebuild. Let us be proud of our flag, be proud of our country. The British flag and the flags of our four nations are ours, they belong to all of us. Let\u2019s take them back. Let\u2019s wave them with pride.\u201d<\/p>\n