Symbols of Talahara

Messidor Union

File:Messidor Flag.png
Use	National flag, civil and state ensign
Proportion	14:25
Adopted	May 9, 1856
Design	A red fist shattering a ring of chains on a black field.
Variant flag of the Messidor Union
Use	Civil flag
Proportion	varies
Adopted	As a national flag on June 20, 1831, relegated to a civil flag on May 9, 1856
Design	A black field.
File:Messidorian Naval Ensign.png Variant flag of the Messidor Union
Use	Naval ensign
Proportion	111:200
Adopted	October 10, 1866
Design	A red fist shattering a ring of chains in the canton, a sanguine sea on the bottom edge, on a black field.

The flag of the Messidor Union, often referred to as the Black Banner or the Hand of the Workers, consists of a clenched red fist striking upward and shattering a red ring of chains on a black field. Officially adopted in 1856, replacing a simple black flag as the national flag of the Union, the striking fist has since become one of the most recognizable symbols of the Messidor Union.

History

The movement to design a unique and recognizable flag for the Messidor Union began at its inception but gathered momentum in the 1850s. The plain black flags were found to be ill-suited to definitively identify Messidorian civil and naval vessels. The captains of Messidorian vessels bypassed these concerns by flying the black flag alongside either an Aɣmatian or an East Merovian flag. The 1840s had seen the dawn of the federalist movement in the Union with a push for greater unity between its constituent nations. In July 1854, the ruling Federalist Party resolved to design a single, recognizable, and neutrally Messidorian flag that would suit both Aɣmatian and East Merovian workers.

The flag was designed by a committee in the Workers' Congress.