Brexiteers rage after EU flags flood Proms again during Rule Britannia

The Last Night of the Proms took place at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday night, though the finale of the classical music event was not free from controversy, as anti-Brexit campaigners once again brought out EU flags to wave in the air during patriotic anthems such as “Land of Hope and Glory” and “Rule Britannia”.

The initiative, thought up by the campaign group 'Thank EU for the Music,' has taken place every Last Night of the Proms since the EU referendum (that’s 2016, if you’ve somehow forgotten amid everything else going on) and seeks to show support to “Brexit-impacted musicians”.

Taking to Twitter/X after the stunt to address Brexiteers, the group wrote: “It’s democracy in action.

“We were there defending the music industry from the outrageous impact of [Brexit]. Democracy as we understand it means that when something is patently not working, the nation gets to vote again and reappraise.

“Fascism is the opposite of that… don’t be on the wrong side this time.”

As is to be expected, the response has been divided.

There were those who supported the protest:

And those – Brexiteers, mainly – who weren’t too happy:

It’s not the first time that the Proms has been surrounded in political controversy, as the Royal Albert Hall asked concertgoers in 2017 to put away EU flags, only for Brexiteers to fume when they didn’t.

And in 2019, an opera singer was asked to change her blue and gold gown, as it was considered “too provocative” in relation to the issue of Brexit.

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.