French towns fly Palestinian flag despite gov’t ban before recognition

The motion comes arsenic France prepares to recognise a Palestinian authorities astatine the UN General Assembly

Mayors crossed France person flown Palestinian flags successful defiance of a authorities bid to instrumentality them down, earlier it joins respective different European and Western countries successful recognising a Palestinian state.

France’s Ministry of the Interior, arsenic of Monday morning, said 21 municipality halls had raised the Palestinian flag, according to its ain count, contempt Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who belongs to the right-wing Republicans party, telling municipal governments to observe “neutrality”. Many much municipal governments were expected to articulation those who chose to hoist the flag.

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The mayors were responding to a telephone by the person of France’s Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, who condemned what helium called Retailleau’s “insane indecency”, calling connected the outgoing interior minister, who resigned this week, to measurement aside.

“I regret that the curate recovered thing amended to bash than to question to condemn mayors who are doing their work of solidarity,” Faure said. “How tin we contiguous accidental that this is simply a reprehensible enactment erstwhile we bash not condemn what is happening successful Gaza?” helium added.

En ce jour historique, j’étais présent ce matin aux côtés du maire @MathieuHanotin et @faureolivier à #SaintDenis determination hisser le drapeau Palestinien au fronton de la mairie.#Palestine #ONU pic.twitter.com/4Nimsz1NGZ

— Stephane Peu (@stephane1peu) September 22, 2025

[Translation: On this historical day, I was contiguous this greeting alongside the politician @MathieuHanotin and @faureolivier successful #SaintDenis to rise the Palestinian emblem successful beforehand of the municipality hall.]

The communist politician of the Parisian suburb of Malakoff, Jacqueline Belhomme, hoisted the Palestinian emblem connected Friday, refusing a constabulary petition to region it and describing the removal bid arsenic a “prefectural coup”.

Belhomme told The Associated Press that “it is thing symbolically important, conscionable arsenic we did immoderate clip agone with the Ukrainian emblem erstwhile we stood with the Ukrainian radical who were nether onslaught by Russia.”

In a station connected X, Socialist Party politician of Nantes, Johanna Rolland, welcomed France’s determination to recognise a Palestinian state, writing: “Nantes is accompanying this historical determination by the French Republic by raising, for the day, the Palestinian flag.”

Karim Bouamrane, politician of a Paris suburb, said “Many of america person campaigned for years for this time to come” successful a station connected X, adding that successful “Saint-Ouen, it is with pridefulness that we volition adorn the beforehand of the municipality hallway with the Palestinian flag.”

France’s announcement that it volition recognise a Palestinian authorities astatine the United Nations General Assembly comes arsenic Israel’s genocidal warfare connected Gaza is present astir 2 years long, with much than 65,000 Palestinians killed and hundreds of thousands injured.

The ongoing effort to bring astir a ceasefire successful Gaza volition apt predominate proceedings astatine the gathering of satellite leaders successful New York.

France’s overseas minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, defended the determination amid increasing pressure, calling designation by countries a “categorical disavowal” of Hamas and “a large diplomatic triumph for France”.

Marine Le Pen, person of the far-right National Rally party, said the determination was an “extremely superior mistake” successful an interrogation with section media. “It is the Hamastan that Emmanuel Macron recognizes today, not Palestine,” she said. Mathilde Panot, a starring fig successful the left-wing France Unbowed party, said Le Pen was supporting the genocide against Palestinians successful Gaza.

Dominique de Villepin, a salient French former premier minister, called connected the country’s leaders not to disregard the “humanitarian calamity unfolding successful Gaza” arsenic they determination to recognise Palestine.