Polish party seeks to ban EU flag on number plates

WARSAW, June 30 (Reuters) Poland's nationalist League of Polish Families, a junior coalition partner, called on the cabinet today to change the law and remove EU stars from car number plates, replacing them with the Polish national flag.

After joining the EU in May 2004, Poland started replacing car number plates, carrying the country's white and red flag and country code PL, with new ones which have only the code and stars symbolising the EU.

The League, whose presence in the conservative-led coalition government has upset Poland's European Union partners and human rights groups, has opposed the country's EU membership, comparing it to Soviet-led oppression.

''Poles have to be proud of their own country and they do not need the European flag everywhere they look,'' Piotr Slusarczyk, a member of the League, which told a news conference.

''We are in Poland and our national colours are white and red.'' Reuters SHB GC1645