- Far-right extremist Billy Allison, co-founder of the Raise the Colours movement, has been charged with murder and grievous bodily harm with intent following an alleged assault.
- Matthew O’Gara died and a second man sustained injuries. Allison is due to stand trial on 26th October.
Far-right radical and ethno-nationalist, Billy Allison, co-founder of the Raise the Colours movement, has been charged with murder and grievous bodily harm with intent.
Allison, 36, of Solihull, was arrested following an incident outside a bar in Lichfield at 11:25pm on 24 May, during which two men were allegedly punched.
One of the victims, Matthew O’Gara, died in hospital on Tuesday. The second victim has since been discharged.
Mathew O’Gara
According to a statement issued by Staffordshire Police, Allison was arrested shortly after 5am on Monday 26 May.
He has been charged with murder and with causing grievous bodily harm with intent under Section 18.
A trial date has been scheduled for 26th October.
Allison is one of the founding members of Operation Raise the Colours, a nationwide campaign launched last summer that encouraged people to display St George’s and Union flags in their local communities.
The campaign typically involved men securing worn flags to lampposts with cable ties.
Another co-founder of the movement, Ryan Bridge, was arrested in Oxford on Wednesday 1 April on suspicion of racially and religiously aggravated assault. Raise the Colours has been issued with a legal notice prohibiting the erection of flags across Oxfordshire.
On 16th May, Bridge was arrested outside Euston station at Tommy Robinson’s ‘Unite the Kingdom’ rally. This followed a hit and run incident in Stirchley where a 33- year old was hospitalised with a broken leg.
On 23rd November 2025, Raise the Colours member, Paul Lumber, 60, died after falling from a ladder while putting up Union Jack Flags.
Raise the Flag Operation members present themselves as defenders of the country, advocates for the protection of women and children, and custodians of their communities. They portray themselves as righteous Christians, casting the flags they erect as symbols of vigilance and civic pride. Yet behind this image lies the spread of virulent anti-Muslim rhetoric, the deepening of community division, and a donation-driven operation sustained through branded merchandise and fundraising appeals. That same movement is now further overshadowed, with one of its figures facing trial for murder.
