In June, a court ordered Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi, a Macron ally, to temporarily stop displaying Israeli flags which were raised for months, arguing that the Hebrew flag “cannot be regarded solely as a symbol of support for the hostages, but must also be seen as support for the State of Israel and therefore as the expression of a political opinion.”
A court decision from Dec. 2024 said mayors were allowed to fly Ukrainian flags in front of their town halls because the flags “did not breach the principle of neutrality, as it was in reality a gesture of solidarity rather than a political statement.”
Flag politics
Flag politics are nothing new in Europe. The debates in France regarding the use of those representing Israel and the Palestinian territories dates back to the start of the war in Gaza.
In the immediate aftermath of the the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack, Israeli flags were common in France — which is home to more Jews than any other country in Europe — and the Eiffel Tower was lit up with the Israeli flag.
As the war dragged on, the left has displayed Palestinian flags as a sign of solidarity with civilians suffering in Gaza after nearly two years of war. A United Nations commission this week determined Israel is committing genocide in the coastal enclave, a charge that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government vehemently denies.
Last year, Sébastien Delogu, an MP from the hard-left France Unbowed movement, was suspended from the National Assembly after raising a Palestinian flag during a debate in parliament. In protest, lawmakers from all left-wing groups wore Palestinian colors during the following session.
Right-wing officials have criticized such acts and other displays of Palestinian flags as rewarding terrorism.