A popular American fast food chain is causing a stir overseas for firing a cashier over a patriotic flower.

Fee £75 per image for online and Fee £150 per image for hardcopy - Must Credit Mirrorpix Stephen Colquhoun outside the KFC were he was sacked for wearing a poppy.

Mirrorpix

Former KFC employee Stephen Colquhoun of Glasgow donated some of his wages into a charity box and attached a red remembrance poppy to his shirt. Trouble began to brew when Colquhoun’s manager saw him wearing the poppy.

“I made a ­donation to the restaurant’s own poppy box and had been wearing my poppy on shift on Friday. But then the boss came over and told me to get it off,” Colquhoun said. “At first I thought he must be joking, but he kept on demanding I take it off. Eventually I told him he’d need to sack me because I wasn’t taking it off.”

Both the British and American Legions distribute remembrance poppies on Veterans Day and Memorial Day to people who donate money to military veterans. The poppy is a reference to the poem “In Flanders Fields,” which describes a poppy growing on the graves of every soldier killed in Belgium. Since WWII, the flower has grown to become a worldwide symbol commemorating the fallen.

Considering the long-standing tradition of the remembrance poppy, Colquhoun was baffled by his manager’s refusal to let him wear the small flower. He claims that his boss fired him on the spot and said it was a “disgrace” that he was not allowed to show his support for the troops.

KFC’s Scottish office stated that Colquhoun was note fired over the flower.

“The poppy appeal is a great cause and many of our restaurants support it through donation boxes including the Renfield Street restaurant,” the franchise said. “Wearing any type of badge or pin while working in a kitchen poses a foreign body risk so isn’t allowed for health and safety reasons. The team member has not been dismissed but we are currently looking into the matter.”