 | |
| Flag of Wallonia | |
| Proportion | 2:3[1] |
|---|---|
| Adopted | 1975 |
| Design | Red rooster on a yellow background |
 Coat of arms of Wallonia | |
Theflag of Wallonia is used by theWalloon Region andFrench Community of Belgium. Designed between 1912 and 1913, it depicts a red "boldrooster" (coq hardi) on a yellow field. Originally associated with theWalloon Movement, the flag has subsequently become an apolitical symbol of regional identity. It has enjoyed official status since 1975.
Over the late 19th century, theFlemish Movement sought to challenge the status of theFrench language in the predominantlyDutch-speaking regions of Belgium. This led to the emergence of an alternativeWalloon Movement in the largely French-speaking areas which became known asWallonia although thewallingants' political influence remained minimal.[2] The movement sought to inspire a sense of patriotism and shared identity among French-speaking Belgians and celebratedregionalism but was not opposed to the idea of a Belgian nation-state. The movement's emergence was accentuated by the political dominance of theCatholic Party after the 1880s which was particularly popular among Flemish voters and was opposed by Francophone Liberals and Socialists.[2]
After the Catholic Party further increased its majority in the1912 general election, the Walloon Movement underwent a period of expansion. A gathering of sympathisers was convened in a "Walloon Assembly" (Assemblée wallonne) in July 1912 which resolved to study the possibility of adopting a flag, emblem, observance, and anthem to celebrate Walloon identity.[2] A commission presided over byRichard Dupierreux [fr] was established to study possible designs. This proved highly controversial. Various heraldic or regional symbols such as theperron were considered but rejected in favour of a rooster. The report was presented at the next meeting of the assembly held atMons on 16 March 1913.[2]
The design proposed by Dupierreux depicted a "bold rooster" (coq hardi) with its head tilted upwards and leg raised. Roosters had not appeared as aheraldic symbol in any part of modern-day Wallonia. The small village ofLimelette [fr] in theProvince of Brabant was the only place to use the emblem.[2] By contrast, theGallic rooster (coq gaulois) had long been used as a national symbol in France. Although attested for centuries, it had gained renewed popularity under theFrench Third Republic (1871–1940).[2] Manywallingants at the time wereLiberals who sought inspiration in the political ideals of theFrench Revolution and were therefore instinctivelyFrancophile.[2] The "bold rooster" used for the flag adopted a different pose from the Gallic rooster, which was usually depicted crowing with head raised upwards and both feet downwards.[2]
Awatercolour painting of the "bold rooster" was produced by the Belgian artistPierre Paulus which is currently in the collections of theMuseum of Walloon Life.[3] At the time, various other designs were also commonly used for several decades. Although there was considerable disagreement over the choice of the emblem and the colours, the flag was formally adopted by Walloon activists at a meeting at theCommunal Museum in Ixelles,Brussels on 20 April 1913.[2][3]
Although initially popular amongwallingants, the flag fell into disuse during theInterwar period andWorld War II.[2][3] The "bold rooster" superimposed on theflag of France was used by groups such asWallonie Libre supportive ofRattachism. As this was a minority position even within the Walloon Movement, it led to suspicion of the design as too "French" among more mainstream political sympathisers, especially within theChristian Social Party.[2] The flag nonetheless gradually became seen as a regional symbol as federalism became a major issue in Belgian politics in the 1960s and 1970s.
On 20 July 1975, the flag was adopted formally as the emblem of the recently createdFrench Cultural Community (Communauté culturelle française) established by the1970 state reform. This was the first time that it had achieved official status.[2] It continues to be used by its successor entity, theFrench Community of Belgium (Communauté française de Belgique) since 1991.[2]
On 15 July 1998, theWalloon Parliament adopted the same design as the flag as the emblem of theWalloon Region.[2] As a result, most public buildings in Wallonia fly the Belgian flag, European Union flag, and Walloon flag together.
