Flag of Wallonia

Over the late 19th century, the Flemish Movement sought to challenge the status of the French language in the predominantly Dutch-speaking regions of Belgium. This led to the emergence of an alternative Walloon Movement in the largely French-speaking areas which became known as Wallonia although the wallingants' political influence remained minimal. The movement sought to inspire a sense of patriotism and shared identity among French-speaking Belgians and celebrated regionalism but was not opposed to the idea of a Belgian nation-state. The movement's emergence was accentuated by the political dominance of the Catholic Party after the 1880s which was particularly popular among Flemish voters and was opposed by Francophone Liberals and Socialists. ==Adoption==

Although initially popular among wallingants, the flag fell into disuse during the Interwar period and World War II. The "bold rooster" superimposed on the flag of France was used by groups such as Wallonie Libre supportive of Rattachism. 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 the Christian Social Party. The flag nonetheless gradually became seen as a regional symbol as federalism became a major issue in Belgian politics in the 1960s and 1970s. and the European Union at Sourbrodt. This combination can be found on most public buildings in Wallonia. On 20 July 1975, the flag was adopted formally as the emblem of the recently created French Cultural Community (Communauté culturelle française) established by the 1970 state reform. This was the first time that it had achieved official status. It continues to be used by its successor entity, the French Community of Belgium (Communauté française de Belgique) since 1991. On 15 July 1998, the Walloon Parliament adopted the same design as the flag as the emblem of the Walloon Region. As a result, most public buildings in Wallonia fly the Belgian flag, European Union flag, and Walloon flag together. ==See also==