For the second time in a few months, the group of left-wing officials together and the environmentalists asked, through a press release dated June 16, to the mayor of Saint-Nazaire, to raise the Palestinian flag in the pediment of the City Council. But for his great dismay, the socialist mayor David Samzun rejects any “media staging.”
“The group of elected and environmental officials of elected and environmental officials denounces the immobility of the municipal majority and again requires that the Palestinian flag be high on the facade of the City Council.” The elected environmentalists criticize the councilor for his neutrality and “his lack of political commitment.” According to them, “there is still time to act. To make the voice heard. Do not let history judge our silence.”
But, according to the mayor, the conditions would not be met to access this request. “David Samzun explained that he has already testified his solidarity and his compassion for all the victims of this new episode of the conflict. And add:” We hope that one day the hotels of the city of the French Republic can welcome the flags of the two states (Israel and Palestine). It is clear that this is not the case today. “
A flag war
In recent days, the prefectures and municipalities of several cities are dedicated to a kind of flag war. Those of Seine-Saint-Denis and Hauts-de-Seine have summoned the municipalities of Saint-Denis and Gennevilliers to eliminate the Palestinian flags of the pedimentos of their respective hotels in the city. In Niza, since October 7, the Israeli flag has floated in the town hall. On June 16, Alpes-Maritimes prefecture asked him to eliminate it. But Christian Estrosi, Mayor Horizons of Nice refused.
In theory, from the decision of the State Council in 2005, it is prohibited to pave with a foreign flag in the pediment of a town hall. Already, at that time, the principle of neutrality was invoked. But in 2022, in support of Ukraine invaded by Russia, the Ukrainian flag appeared in many French municipalities.
And in 2024, the Administrative Court estimated that the exhibition of the Ukrainian flag in the pediment of the City Council of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Yvelines) intended to “symbolically express its solidarity towards a victim of the nation of a military assault.” The court concluded that this initiative “cannot be considered, therefore, to symbolize the affirmation of the political opinions of its mayor.”
Source: BFM TV
