Flags of convenience

The Guardian seeks to dispel the rumours about the sudden and convenient availability of Danish flags all over the Middle East (here):

"First, not all flags are equal: printing a design on to fabric is far easier, cheaper and quicker than sewing the various pieces together. "You could whizz up hundreds of printed flags in a matter of hours," says Judy Johnstone, of the UK flag manufacturer Portland. The Danish flag, an off-centred white cross on a red background, would be much quicker to improvise than, say, the flag of Montserrat, which features a woman in a long flowing green dress holding a crucifix and a harp. Additionally, judging by the photos, a number of protesters have got the flags wrong: one looked Swiss, one looked wobbly, and several (according to the flag-obsessed blog Vexillarium, at vexillarium.blogspot.com) are "technically ... flags of the French province of Savoy". Much as the demonstrations seem to have been at least partially organised, everything about these flags smacks of improvisation."