Flag Campaign Founder Charged With 14 Offences Days After Reform UK Conference Appearance
Ryan Bridge, the 45-year-old founder of Raise the Colours, faces a flurry of criminal charges just one day after appearing at Reform UK's annual conference
Ryan Bridge, the 45-year-old founder of Raise the Colours, faces a flurry of criminal charges just one day after appearing at Reform UK's annual conference where party leader Nigel Farage publicly backed his flag-raising initiative. Thames Valley Police charged Bridge on Sunday with 14 alleged offences stemming from incidents in Oxfordshire between late January and March 2026.
The timing raised eyebrows. On Saturday, Farage told Bridge from the conference stage: "If we can help you legally, we will." Within hours, police announced the charges.
What He's Accused Of
Bridge, from Blackwell in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, stands accused of seven counts of using menacing speech or conduct intended to harass, intimidate, or cause distress. He also faces three counts of threatening or abusive behaviour designed to provoke violence or create fear of violence.
Two additional counts relate to racially aggravated harassment and alarm, while a fifth category charge alleges racially aggravated fear of violence. Police did not specify details around an assault allegation contained in some reports.
The Flag Campaign and Its Controversy
Raise the Colours emerged last summer as a grassroots effort to display Union Jack and St George's Cross flags across lampposts throughout England's Midlands and southern regions. Bridge has framed the campaign as patriotic symbolism. Critics, however, contend the group weaponises the flags to stoke anti-immigration sentiment amid rising populist sentiment across Britain.
Authorities grew concerned. In July, Oxfordshire County Council obtained a High Court injunction prohibiting flag placement near roads, citing safety hazards, trespass, and obstruction of public thoroughfares. Birmingham City Council pursued a similar legal remedy.
Political Backing and Legal Jeopardy
Bridge's attendance at Reform's conference underscored the party's attempt to consolidate support beyond its traditional hard-right base while fending off competition from the even more hardline Restore Britain faction. Farage's on-stage pledge of legal assistance suggested the party viewed him as a sympathetic figure aligned with nationalist causes.
Bridge is scheduled to appear at Oxford Magistrates' Court on 3 November to face the charges. The prosecution will hinge on witness testimony and recorded evidence compiled by police during their investigation across the two-month incident window.
