Flag of Malta
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The flag of Malta (Template:Lang) is a bicolour, with white in the hoist and red in the fly. A representation of the George Cross, awarded to Malta by George VI in 1942, is carried, edged with red, in the canton of the white stripe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The flag was first recognized in May of 1952.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It is the only national flag to feature English-language text ("For Gallantry" on the George Cross).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is one of two national flags, alongside Belize, to depict a human.
Design
Construction sheet
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Colours
The red hue in the Maltese flag is officially documented as Pantone 186 C, RGB (207,20,43), Hex #CF142B or Spot Colour - 50% rubine red • 50% warm red.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The constitution of Malta also states that the white side must be on the hoist pole while the red side must be "in the fly".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Tradition states that the colours of the flag were given to Malta by Roger I of Sicily in 1091. Roger's fleet landed in Malta on the completion of the Norman conquest of Sicily.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It is said that local Christians offered to fight by Roger's side against the Arab defenders. In order to recognize the locals fighting on his side from the defenders, Roger reportedly tore off part of his chequered red-and-white flag.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> However, this story has been debunked as a 19th-century myth,<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> possibly even earlier due to Mdina, Malta's old capital, associating its colours with Roger's in the late Middle Ages.<ref>Gaul, Simon (2007). Malta, Gozo and CominoTemplate:Dead link. New Holland Publishers. p. 25. Template:ISBN.</ref>
The white and red standard was reportedly used by Maltese insurgents during a rebellion against French occupation in September 1798.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The flag of the Knights of Malta, a white cross on a red field,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> was a more likely source of the Maltese colours, inspiring the red and white shield used during the British colonial period.<ref name=":2" /> The flag used by the knights was also known to be the oldest still-in-use national flag.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The blue canton present in the 1943 to 1964 version of the flag was removed after Maltese independence, with the George cross instead given a red fimbriation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The George Cross
The George Cross originally appeared on the flag placed on a blue canton (see List of flags of Malta). The flag was changed on 21 September 1964 with Malta's independence when the blue canton was replaced by a red fimbriation, the intention being that the Cross appear less prominent. King George VI bestowed the George Cross on Malta on April 15, 1942.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> in recognition of its courageousness during World War II.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":0" /> The symbol was later officially added to the Maltese flag on 28 December 1943<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> despite symbolism being in circulation between April 1942 and December 1943 depicting the flag.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Campaign
Every few years, the debate to remove the George Cross from the national flag comes up. In 1975 an act passed in parliament allowing the George Cross to be removed by a simple parliament majority<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with the reasoning being that the cross ties Malta to its turbulent, colonial past.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":2" /> A campaign on social media in 2013 further emphasized this point, coming up with an alternative of replacing it with the Maltese cross.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The issue of the cross returned to the fore of Maltese politics in 2019 when Maltese historian and noted Napoleon apologist and Francophile Charles Xuereb called for its removal from the flag, as well as the demolition of British colonial monuments across the country, arguing that the addition of the cross was a "colonial gimmick" in an interview with The Times of Malta.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Rival historian Joe Pirotta argued against Xuereb's idea in an article also published by The Times of Malta saying that the addition of the cross was a great honor with Mario Farrugia, chairman of the Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna, arguing that removing the cross would be "an insult" to those who fought against Nazism and that "The George Cross has become as famous as the Maltese Cross" as a symbol of Malta.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Civil ensign
The civil ensign shows a red field, bordered white and charged with a blank Maltese cross. It is also known as the Merchant's flag<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and/or the maritime flag of Malta.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":1" />
Historical flags of Malta
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A Graphical History of the Maltese Flag
See also
- Award of the George Cross to Malta
- Coat of arms of Malta
- Culture of Malta
- National symbols of Malta
- List of flags of Malta