French town halls defy government warning to fly Palestinian flags
Over 50 French town halls raised the Palestinian flag despite government opposition, marking a significant political gesture ahead of Macron's planned state recognition at the UN.
- On Monday, over 50 French town halls, including Nantes and Saint-Denis, flew Palestinian flags despite an Interior Ministry ban on such displays.
- The flag raisings followed Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau's directive ordering legal action against mayors, days before President Macron's planned UN recognition of Palestine.
- Socialist leader Olivier Faure attended Saint-Denis’s flag-raising, condemned Retailleau’s order as "absurd indecency," and defended the flags as symbols of freedom and self-determination.
- France projected Israeli and Palestinian flags on the Eiffel Tower Sunday, while Macron called for peace, an immediate ceasefire, and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
- The flag controversy highlights deep social tensions in France amid France’s recognition of Palestine, reflecting polarized reactions from large Jewish and Muslim communities.
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Defiant French town halls fly Palestinian flags despite government ban
To mark France's recognition of a Palestinian state, 50 town halls across France hoisted the Palestinian flag on their facades It was defiance against a government order that ordered them not to do so by hardline Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who says displaying flags violates the French "principle of neutrality." But what is this principle, and what does the law say about the flag flying? Vedika Bahl explains in Truth or Fake
French Towns Raise Palestinian Flags as Jewish Groups Across the West Decry Premature ‘Palestine’ Recognition
Palestinian flags fly over French town halls as municipalities defy a government ban ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s planned recognition of a Palestinian state. Photo: Screenshot More than 50 municipalities across France defied an Interior Ministry order on Monday, raising Palestinian flags on their facades ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement recognizing a Palestinian state later in the day. The contentious gesture came after …

Dozens of French towns flout government warning to fly Palestinian flag
More than 80 town halls in France hoisted the Palestinian flag Monday ahead of the recognition of a Palestinian state by President Emmanuel Macron in defiance of a government warning not to do so.
Despite the intimidation of Bruno Retailleau, several French communes have deployed a flag on their pediment in tribute to the recognition of Palestine. The left-wing elected officials denounce "an instrumentalization of the state" by the resigned interior minister.
Video - Lyon, Nantes, Rennes, Saint-Denis and Stains are among the 52 municipalities that chose to raise the Palestinian flag, despite the ban issued by the Ministry of Interior.
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