Defacement (flag)

The British Blue Ensign

The flag of New Zealand, a defaced British Blue Ensign

The flag of Indonesia

The flag of Singapore, a defaced Indonesian flag

The flag of Colombia

The flag of Ecuador, a defaced Colombian flag

In

In the context of vexillology, the word "deface" carries no negative connotations, in contrast to general usage. It simply indicates a differentiation of the flag from that of another owner by addition of elements. For example, many state flags are formed by defacing the national flag with a coat of arms.

History

Where countries pass through changes of regime with contrasting ideological orientations (monarchist/republican, fascist/democratic, communist/capitalist, secular/religious etc.) – all of which, despite their differences, claim allegiance to a common national heritage expressed in a venerated national flag – it can happen that a new regime defaces that flag with its own specific emblem while keeping the basic flag design unchanged. Such changing ideological emblems appeared over time, among others, on the flags of

An already defaced flag can be further defaced. For example, the Australian flag is a defaced British Blue Ensign. The Australian Border Force Flag is further defaced with the words "Australian border force" in block letters.^{[citation needed]}

In the United States, it is against the

It is common for association football supporters travelling abroad for a match to bring a national flag defaced with the name of their hometown or a similar local identifier.^{[citation needed]}

Gallery

References