Divisive Palestinian flag raising exposes Jews to hate and contempt

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What is a flag?

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Some fabric. Warning, greeting. A symbol of something fluttering on a pole.

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In the United States, Donald Trump signed one of his ubiquitous executive orders directing his Attorney General to “vigorously prosecute” anyone who “desecrates” the American flag. In Canada, desecrating our flag is not against the law.

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But tradition dictates that our flag should always be the tallest and that it should be respectfully disposed of—burned or cut up—when it wears out.

So, for most people, flags mean something important. If it's completely white, give up. Everything is black, anarchy. And the flag of the strip of land that calls itself Palestine? The answer to that question became important this week.

In Toronto, Calgary, Mississauga and Brampton, a Palestinian flag was raised at city halls. IThe mayor and councilors appeared in some places – Mississauga and Brampton. In other places, such as Toronto, the mayor has not done so.

Injunction lifted

In Toronto, a group called Tafsik sought an injunction against the raising of the Palestinian flag. It lost. This is unfortunate because a legal precedent has now been set.

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Why is this unfortunate? Several reasons.

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Globally, we are experiencing the biggest surge in anti-Semitism in 80 years. It's even worse in Canada.

Times of Israel reported this week that “anti-Semitism was already on the rise in the Great White North in the years before the Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, which left 1,200 people killed in Israel and 251 taken hostage in the Gaza Strip, sparking the war. But since then, hate crimes have risen astronomically.”

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Reported about Time: “In 2024, there were 6,219 anti-Semitic incidents in Canada, or an average of about 17 incidents of harassment, vandalism and violence per day.”

Seventeen anti-Semitic incidents every day. Qualitatively, this makes Canada one of the worst places for Jews to be hated in the West—if not the worst. In May, an Israeli government ministry even called us the world's “champion of anti-Semitism.”

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Displaying the Palestinian flag makes Jews feel uncomfortable and unwelcome

So: in these circumstances, at this time, the display of this flag, this symbol can only contribute Canadian Jews feel even more uncomfortable and unwelcome. After all, this is the flag of the government that murdered and raped hundreds of Jews on October 7, 2023. For most Jews, raising the Palestinian flag—now, at this time—makes it impossible to ignore the historical reality of October 7th. They see this as a specific rejection of them. Jews.

This is also not an assumption.

During the flag raising in Mississauga, supporters even chanted “Allahu Akbar” – “Allah is great.” This is what Hamas chanted over and over again on October 7 during an unprecedented orgy of murder, rape and torture. You might think it's just a coincidence, but you're almost certainly not Jewish.

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Thus, raising the flag is extremely premature. None of the conditions that Prime Minister Mark Carney set for recognition of a Palestinian state were met. None. Why did these cities move forward at all? Why was it so important to raise this flag now?

The answer, at least in part, is obviously to make Jews feel unwanted and afraid. To isolate and intimidate them. To subject them, as many Jews believe, to contempt and hatred.

Some may consider this a stretch. Some may think this is an overreaction. But in life, as in the law: what matters most is how the act of cruelty is experienced by the victim. The offender's justifications and justifications carry little, if any, weight.

The Palestinian flag itself is not the flag of Nazi Germany. True. But the Nazi flag is actually a useful parallel: In Canada, it is not strictly illegal to display a swastika in front of your home. But this is a good way to get yourself into a lot of trouble.

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It is frowned upon because it is a symbol that divides people. This really hurts.

Raising the flag sends an unmistakable message to Jews

The same thing is happening this week with the flying of the Palestinian flag. This does not decide the outcome of the war in distant Gaza. But this sends an unmistakable message to the Jews: We are not interested in your pain. We don't care about your feelings of isolation – here in the place that should be your home.

So yes, it's just a symbol. It's just some fabric and ink.

But it is a symbol that still divides us. This is a symbol that hurts the victims of history, the Jewish people.

To pick it up now is to kick them when they fall.

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