A Palestinian flag is expected to fly at City Hall later this month, a Sinn Fein councillor has said.
Old Park councillor Ryan Murphy put forward the proposal at a Belfast City Council meeting on Tuesday.
The proposal will see the country’s flag flown on November 29 to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the People of Palestine.
The motion passed with 41 votes for and 15 against.
It was also agreed that the UN flag will fly on December 10.
Councillor Murphy said: “In light of the continued genocide against the people of Gaza, it is right that we show solidarity and support to them as they face a continuing barbaric onslaught from the Israeli military.
"This involves fundraising initiatives, ethical procurement policies and acts of solidarity such as the support for this proposal."
It came after the council meeting ground to a halt when councillors from the SDLP, Green Party, People Before Profit, and Sinn Fein walked out in protest at DUP Lord Mayor Tracy Kelly’s refusal to allow discussion of the recent visit to Israel by unionist politicians.
Taking to X, Deputy Lord Mayor Paul Doherty said the walk-out occurred after a member was “prevented” from making a proposal about Palestine in the chamber.
Mr Doherty added that the mayor was “silencing” the issue in order to “protect he education minister from scrutiny.”
But TUV councillor Ron McDowell, who was among the delegation of unionists in Israel, slammed the walk-out as an attempt to “hijack” the meeting.
The TUV deputy leader said: “I want to express my strong condemnation of an attempt this evening to hijack Belfast City Council business in order to launch a political attack on Communities Minister Paul Givan.
“During consideration of the minutes of the Strategic Policy & Resources Sinn Fein hijacked a procedural issue around the display of symbols in the ran council ran Waterfront Hall to try and pass a motion condemning the Education Minister.
“The Lord Mayor was absolutely right to intervene to prevent the chamber being misused in this way and to ensure Council business continued in line with proper procedure and established democratic practice.
He added: “The people of Belfast expect their Council to deal with the business before it — not to become a stage for last-minute political ambushes and point-scoring.
“Tonight’s attempt to twist routine minutes into an opportunistic political attack was irresponsible, transparent, and fundamentally disrespectful to the institution.
“I remain committed to defending proper democratic process, good governance, and ensuring the Council focuses on the priorities that matter to the people of Belfast.”
by Pigeon_Asshole
12 comments
If Belfast City Council decided to allocate funds for aid relief in Gaza I’d be all for it. I am appalled by the war that has been waged by Israel.
That said, the last thing we need here is more flags. Tribal, virtue signalling bullshit that achieves nothing beyond dividing us.
Ban all flags.
Ahh I knew there was something this controversy was missing, some special ingredient to raise it to peak outrage: flags!
Sinn Fein abusing their powers but sure we would expect no less from them.
God this place is exhausting
Sinn Fein supporting their brothers in terror Hamas
The council acknowledges all sorts of international days. Why is it only an issue when its Palestine?
When is SF putting up the Hamas flag?
I’m probably a very cynical person but I also understand how politics work and I think this isn’t so much about “*solidarity with the people of Palestine*” for Sinn Fein, so much as it’s about handing unionists another length of rope to hang themselves with, in PR terms, and naturally the unionists have already wrapped this rope around their own necks without a seconds hesitation.
The smart thing to do here would have been to allow SF their little stunt, because that’s all it is let’s be honest, in PR/strategy terms. What the unionists should have done here was to simply ignore this, let it play out, abstain even, no fuss, no drama, it’s an act that makes no practical or measurable difference to anything and by doing so there would have been no impact from this, but now because they’ve spat the dummy over it, they’ve amplified it. The Streisand effect.
Again unionists have kicked the ball into their own net.
Stick up a tricolor and leave it there.
In fairness I think the pushback is peoples just fed up with us constantly going on about a place hundreds of miles away, while we look around our own place and we see businesses closing, people in the streets and families struggling with bills housing etc. You got our own people on wait-list for ages and then you bring in a pile of Palestinians+ all their dependents which is probably a load of family members and jump them to the top of the queue. Whether you agree or not it’s stoking the tensions. They’re our government therefore they should put us first
guys, you know palestinians are mostly islamists? they would murder you in cold blood. why do you think a sharia terrorstate has something to do with you???
Personally became completely disillusioned with these people a number of months ago at an event staged to raise awareness of the spiraling rates of violence and sex assaults being committed against women in NI. .. there they were
. waving Palestinian flags. The irony would be funny if it weren’t so sickening.
Because let’s be honest. waving the flag of a regime whose militants proudly filmed the rape, torture and murder of women isn’t solidarity. It’s moral blindness at best, moral bankruptcy at worst. A twisted attempt to look virtuous while trampling on the very cause they claim to support.
Sick and warped or just useful idiots.. I’ve honestly given up trying to unpick their psychology. It’s definitely not legitimate virtue driving them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8JqKxrloQQ
The infamous Blame Game Fleg video – now it’s become prophetic
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