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The Palestinian flag flies at Toronto’s City Hall on Nov. 17.Wa Lone/Reuters
Palestinian flags rose over several Canadian city halls and a provincial legislature for the first time, prompting celebration, condemnation, and a vow from one mayor to end all foreign flag-raisings.
Various civilian groups requested the flag-raising to commemorate the 37th anniversary of the Palestinian Declaration of Independence on Saturday. The proclamation, issued by Palestine Liberation Organization chairman Yasser Arafat, intended to establish Palestinian sovereignty through a two-state solution grounded in international law. Canada, along with Britain, Australia and other allies, officially recognized Palestinian statehood in September.
In Toronto, dozens gathered at City Hall Monday to fly the flag on the building’s rooftop, chanting slogans and cheering, while a few pro-Israeli advocates protested nearby. Mayor Olivia Chow did not attend, as is her general policy for flag raisings.
Prior to the ceremony, an Ontario Superior Court judge dismissed an injunction request from Tafsik Organization, a Canadian group fighting antisemitism, which argues the event was “endorsing violence” against Jewish communities.
Tafsik’s executive director Amir Epstein said the issue is what this specific flag has come to represent.
“The Palestinian flag has become a symbol of intimidation and violence for our community,” Mr. Epstein said in an interview. “It is a form of intimidation when it’s raised in this way across the country. What we’re seeing is causing further divisiveness and a blaming of all Jews in Canada for whatever actions are taking place in the Middle East by foreign governments.”
But Shane Martinez, lawyer for the Canadian chapter of the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians, contended that there was “no merit” to Tafsik’s injunction request.
“The flag celebration has actually done a lot of good for this city,” he said. “It meant no harm whatsoever, which is why this group’s request was denied. Their submission was based on anti-Palestinian tropes and demonstrable falsehoods, without any evidence.”
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Palestinian flags were also raised in other parts of the Greater Toronto Area, including Mississauga’s and Brampton’s city halls.
In Calgary, Haneen Omar was among about 250 people who gathered to watch that city’s flag-raising on Saturday. She said seeing the flag fly brought feelings of validation, pride, joy and also sadness, recognizing Palestine’s tumultuous path toward statehood.
However, Calgary’s first time raising the Palestinian flag may also be its last. Citing the division caused by foreign flag-raisings, Mayor Jeromy Farkas, elected last month, said he intends to bring forward an urgent motion on Tuesday to end the practice.
“These events, even when well-intentioned, increasingly risk becoming flashpoints for conflict and for the alarming rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia we are seeing in our city,” he said in a statement issued last Thursday.
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People gather as the Palestinian flag is raised in front of Calgary’s City Hall on Nov. 15.AHMED ZAKOT
Ms. Omar, a spokesperson for the Palestinian Community Association of Calgary, expressed disappointment that a small, symbolic gesture that made her community feel included could so quickly be taken away.
“We are not the occupation and we are not the resistance; we are Canadians who happen to have a Palestinian origin, just like every Canadian outside of our Indigenous communities has an origin elsewhere,” she said in an interview.
“I would also challenge the idea that capitulating to voices of hate and intolerance is going to bring people together.”
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In Winnipeg, a crowd of about 100 people congregated across the Manitoba Legislative Building to see the flag being raised. In a brief statement, Nellie Kennedy, the province’s Minister for Culture, Heritage and Tourism, described the Saturday morning event as a powerful moment “of visibility, of resilience, and of belonging” that was in line with provincial standards.
Sadaf Ahmed, an advocacy officer with the National Council of Canadian Muslims, said Manitoba is believed to be the first province in the country to officially raise the Palestinian flag outside its legislature.
Ramsey Zeid, president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba, said it was a day he will never forget.
“After all those years of advocating for Palestine to be officially recognized as a state, I think seeing the flag rise in that way in my home city here in Canada – like the flags of other countries we’ve seen fly before without any question – was just so very emotional,” Mr. Zeid said in an interview Monday.
“It’s not just a flag, though, it represents that unbroken will to survive and be free as a people like any other people.”
