Mayors in France to raise Palestinian flag, in defiance of government order
Express newspaper
21/09/2025 13:27
Mayors of several cities in France intend to place the Palestinian flag on their municipal buildings, ignoring the government’s order, as France prepares to officially recognize the Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly.
It is not clear how many cities will join the initiative on Monday, following a call by Socialist leader Olivier Faure to raise the Palestinian flag, despite warnings from the Interior Ministry against the move.
France is the country with the largest Jewish and Muslim populations in Europe.
But Faure’s call has gained momentum, as Palestinian flags have become increasingly present in France during the almost two years of the war in Gaza.
Palestinian banners were seen this week during demonstrations in a major day of protests across the country, where several policies of French President Emmanuel Macron and his government were criticized.
The war in Gaza and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict are expected to top the agenda of world leaders at the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly, which begins on Monday.
The Palestinians have said they hope at least 10 more countries will recognize Palestine, adding to the more than 145 countries that have already recognized it.
Mathieu Hanotin, the mayor of Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris where the national football stadium is located, said he would place the Palestinian flag on the city hall as a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian people.
In western France, the city of Nantes also plans to raise the Palestinian flag on the town hall, announced Mayor Johanna Rolland, a Socialist.
“For municipalities that want to join, through a symbolic gesture, with France’s recognition of the Palestinian state, I believe this makes sense. I will do it without hesitation,” she said.
In a letter sent to state representatives in the regions, France’s Interior Ministry urged them to oppose the display of Palestinian flags in town halls and other public buildings, citing the risk of introducing an international conflict onto national soil.
“The principle of neutrality in public service prohibits such displays,” the Interior Ministry said, adding that any decision by mayors to fly the Palestinian flag must be referred to the administrative courts.
“The front wall of a municipality is not an advertising billboard. Only the tricolor flag – our colors, our values – has the right to be represented in what remains, for us, a common home,” Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on Saturday.
Ian Brossat, spokesman for the French Communist Party, accused Retaillea of contradicting France’s official position.
“The Interior Minister disagrees with French diplomacy. He does not support the recognition of the Palestinian state, unlike the president,” Brossat told BFM TV.
In June, the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, who had placed Israeli flags in the Riviera city’s town hall to show support for the hostages held by Hamas, was forced by a court order to remove them.
The socialist mayor of Saint-Ouen, another Paris suburb, Karim Bouamrane, said he would place both the Israeli and Palestinian flags on the facade of his town hall in an attempt to convey a message of peace.
“We are a community, the republican community,” he told RMC radio.
“The community I represent is one of peace: I do not want to pit Muslims against Jews, nor activists against Hamas supporters and opponents of [Benjamin] Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister,” he added. /REL/