The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee was the scene of a “diplomatic incident”, when the Irish flag was shown on the big screen, as a symbol of belonging to the United Kingdom. A mistake that quickly provoked outrage on social networks, and prompted the BBC to apologize…
The Irish flag was featured in a live televised video montage at the Platinum Party at London’s Palace on Saturday, part of Queen Elizabeth’s four-day Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The Irish flag was apparently used to represent Northern Ireland during a segment on sport in the UK.
During the video montage, a woman waving an Irish tricolor appeared briefly on the big screen outside Buckingham Palace between the Wales and Scotland representations.
As the montage played, comedian and actor Doc Brown performed a rap that read in part:
But look at those three lions, you know what they do to me,
I see them standing up for strength, love and unity,
Same thing with the red dragon, clover and thistle,
White, black and brown we unite at the whistle
Sport is the leveller, now at the finish line,
Son of an immigrant proud to be British.”
Twitters quickly spotted the error, and called the BBC out.
What’s that about, tricolour! Since when are we British? Great show but pic.twitter.com/QY9Po6SMG5
— Dermot O Callaghan (@Dermotocal) June 4, 2022
Translation: “What’s this, the Irish tricolor! Since when are we English?”
The Republic of Ireland is an independent state no longer under British rule… which is not the case for Northern Ireland…
Such an amalgam, made during such an important event as the Queen’s Jubilee, caused a real bad buzz, which the BBC was quick to control. The English channel immediately apologized, and stated that the flag would be removed from the replay.
More news
