Eurovision‘s Olly Alexander has branded the Union Jack flag “divisive” and “nationalistic”, sparking a furious backlash from fans of the annual contest. Ahead of today’s semi-final performance in Malmo, Sweden, the 33-year-old actor claimed to be “ambivalent” about what the flag represented – and Twitter exploded.

“We have a weirdo representing us in Eurovision who can’t stand Great Britain,” one fan exclaimed. “He’s an idiot! We should be proud of our nation’s flag like every other country!! He’s meant to be representing us. He should be kicked out of the show!” another agreed, before slamming that his song is “rubbish anyway”.

“His attitude is pathetic,” a third viewer chimed in. The Years and Years singer, who has also appeared in Channel 4 drama It’s A Sin, came under fire after revealing his “relationship” with the country’s flag.

He told the world: “I hope to reclaim the Union Jack in a positive way. “When I’m going to be out there waving my flag… at the parade, it’s for all the good things that have come from growing up in the UK and being British.”

Olly was born in the Yorkshire city of Harrogate, and also spent some time being schooled in Wales. He has high hopes that his dance track ‘Dizzy’ will succeed, despite admitting that his odds of winning the title on Saturday have been estimated at just 1%.

In a pre-performance interview, he defended: “I like those odds. It’s better than zero.”

If Olly does win on the night, he’ll be the first Brit to do so since 1997.

However, he’s warned fans not to “count him out” just yet, adding that he feels there is no clear frontrunner so far in this year’s competition.

Last week, there was more drama as pro-Palestinian protesters called for him to pull out of the competition, sparking a tearful interview from the 33-year-old hopeful.

Israel will be represented in the contest this year, despite Russia not being allowed to participate – and critics have said this makes whether or not to participate in Eurovision fiercely political.

There were also calls from some for the BBC to drop Olly from the show after he signed a letter accusing Israel of running an “apartheid regime”.

Olly has said he is supportive of Palestinians, but believes that calls for him to boycott Eurovision or pull out are too “extreme”.

In his BBC documentary, Olly Alexander’s Road To Eurovision, he described the war in Gaza as “an incredibly complicated political situation, [which] I’m not qualified to speak on”.

He concluded: “The backdrop to this is actual immense suffering. It’s a humanitarian crisis, a war. It just so happens there’s a song contest going on at the same time that I’m a part of.”