The gesture comes as France prepares to recognise a Palestinian state on the UN Basic Meeting
Mayors throughout France have flown Palestinian flags in defiance of a authorities order to take them down, earlier than it joins a number of different European and Western nations in recognising a Palestinian state.
France’s Ministry of the Inside, as of Monday morning, stated 21 city halls had raised the Palestinian flag, based on its personal rely, regardless of Inside Minister Bruno Retailleau, who belongs to the right-wing Republicans occasion, telling municipal governments to look at “neutrality”. Many extra municipal governments had been anticipated to affix those that selected to hoist the flag.
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The mayors had been responding to a name by the chief of France’s Socialist Social gathering, Olivier Faure, who condemned what he known as Retailleau’s “insane indecency”, calling on the outgoing inside minister, who resigned this week, to step apart.
“I remorse that the minister discovered nothing higher to do than to hunt to sentence mayors who’re doing their responsibility of solidarity,” Faure stated. “How can we right now say that it is a reprehensible act when we don’t condemn what is going on in Gaza?” he added.
En ce jour historique, j’étais présent ce matin aux côtés du maire @MathieuHanotin et @faureolivier à #SaintDenis pour hisser le drapeau Palestinien au fronton de la mairie.#Palestine #ONU pic.twitter.com/4Nimsz1NGZ
— Stephane Peu (@stephane1peu) September 22, 2025
[Translation: On this historic day, I was present this morning alongside the mayor @MathieuHanotin and @faureolivier in #SaintDenis to raise the Palestinian flag in front of the town hall.]
The communist mayor of the Parisian suburb of Malakoff, Jacqueline Belhomme, hoisted the Palestinian flag on Friday, refusing a police request to take away it and describing the removing order as a “prefectural coup”.
Belhomme advised The Related Press that “it’s one thing symbolically essential, simply as we did a while in the past with the Ukrainian flag after we stood with the Ukrainian individuals who had been below assault by Russia.”
In a submit on X, Socialist Social gathering mayor of Nantes, Johanna Rolland, welcomed France’s choice to recognise a Palestinian state, writing: “Nantes is accompanying this historic choice by the French Republic by elevating, for the day, the Palestinian flag.”
Karim Bouamrane, mayor of a Paris suburb, stated “Many people have campaigned for years for at the present time to return” in a submit on X, including that in “Saint-Ouen, it’s with satisfaction that we’ll adorn the entrance of the city corridor with the Palestinian flag.”
France’s announcement that it’s going to recognise a Palestinian state on the United Nations Basic Meeting comes as Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza is now virtually two years lengthy, with greater than 65,000 Palestinians killed and a whole lot of 1000’s injured.
The continued effort to deliver a few ceasefire in Gaza will seemingly dominate proceedings on the gathering of world leaders in New York.
France’s international minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, defended the choice amid rising strain, calling recognition by nations a “categorical disavowal” of Hamas and “an amazing diplomatic victory for France”.
Marine Le Pen, chief of the far-right Nationwide Rally occasion, stated the transfer was an “extraordinarily severe mistake” in an interview with native media. “It’s the Hamastan that Emmanuel Macron acknowledges right now, not Palestine,” she stated. Mathilde Panot, a number one determine within the left-wing France Unbowed occasion, stated Le Pen was supporting the genocide towards Palestinians in Gaza.
Dominique de Villepin, a outstanding French former prime minister, known as on the nation’s leaders to not ignore the “humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Gaza” as they transfer to recognise Palestine.
