This morning, the Palestinian flag was hoisted at Toronto City Hall, overcoming significant opposition from grassroots movements and political entities.
The ceremonial event was in the works since September, following Canada’s conditional acknowledgment of Palestinian statehood.
Resistance came notably from the Canadian Jewish advocacy organization, Tafsik, with over 25,000 individuals signing a petition to stop the event from proceeding.
Nevertheless, the flag proudly took its place above the Canadian municipal building today.
Supporters gathered to celebrate, watching with delight as the black, white, green, and red flag danced in the breeze. Many took smiling selfies with the flag as their backdrop.
The crowd resonated with chants of “free, free Palestine,” accompanied by cheers, and several attendees waved their own Palestinian flags in the plaza beneath the flagpole.
Videos taken at the ceremony by Caryma Sa’d, a Canadian lawyer and independent journalist, showed police confronting a man who was protesting the flag raising by playing the Canadian national anthem on a speaker.
Police turned the speaker off, so the man and people around him continued to sing a capella and finished the anthem.
The Palestinian flag was raised this morning at Toronto City Hall despite fierce grassroots and institutional political resistance
Supporters cheered and chanted ‘free, free Palestine’ as the flag went up
People watching the event online showed their outrage that the Canadian man was being slammed for singing the country’s anthem.
One wrote: ‘Imagine that, not being able to root, be proud or support your country and sovereignty. I’m still waiting to hear how the raising of this flag helps with inflation and the cost of living. If Canada was so accepting, shouldn’t we raise the flag of every country.’
Another person said: ‘Sacrilegious, traitorous and empathetic suicidal act by woke politicians. There should be one and only one flag flown across this country.
‘The one true flag of Canada! F**k the false state of Palestine!’
And a third showed their distaste: ‘Why are our politicians allowing this to happen? This is not Palestine It’s CANADA! Fly the Canadian flag!
‘This is a gigantic slap in the face to Jewish Canadians and to all Canadians!’
A fourth added: ‘Palestine did nothing for Canada. Flag does not belong. Fit in or get out.’
James Pasternak, the city council member who was against the ceremony, made a post on X last week: ‘Toronto’s flag-raising program was created to honour official partners of Canada—nations with which we share formal diplomatic relations and peaceful engagement.
‘That is the proper, lawful, and respectful use of the City’s flag-raising protocol. What is planned for November 17 is not comparable in any way.’
He went on to explain that Canada’s recognition of a Palestinian state was ‘dependent on reforms, demilitarization, and elections that exclude Hamas, a listed terrorist entity in Canada.’
‘To date, none of those conditions have been met,’ he added.
The Change.org petition against the ceremony, which has 25,990 signatures as of Monday afternoon, was updated in light of the flag-raising moving forward today.
The page says: ‘In spite of the heated debate among the residents of our diverse and multicultural city, all debate was quashed to permit this to happen.
‘Raising a flag associated with a group that has targetted [sic] neighbourhoods, blocked our streets, damaged infrastructure, and drained police assets is not consistent with our values. It can only cause division and tension among our citizens.’
A person is detained by police officers after the flag was erected in Canada
Many people showed up to protest the flag-raising ceremony
James Pasternak is a Toronto city council member who has long been an advocate against antisemitism and opposed the flag-raising ceremony
The petition is now calling on city leaders to ‘revise the process that considers any decision to raise a non-Canadian flag at Toronto City Hall and explore other means to foster debate, dialogue and unity that do not risk alienating segments of our cherished community.’
Tafsik, the Canadian Jewish Advocacy group against the ceremony, describes itself as ‘a fearless grassroots organization that empowers individuals and communities with tangible ways to defend our Western values, combat antisemitism and hate crimes, and ensure every citizen can live free from discrimination and violence.’
The organization filed an injunction with Toronto City Hall to stop the flag-raising from proceeding, but it was dismissed this morning.
Afterwards, the organization made a post on X that said: ‘The fight continues.’
